Thrown For a Loop
by HannaHeyes
Summary: It's going to prove to be a loooong day for Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. Inspired by a 1993 movie. Finally COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

The cool early Autumn rain had dissipated leaving a translucent fog hanging over the valley. Nocturnal insects had started to perform their droning song as the evening twilight faded slowly into obscurity. The only other sound to be heard was the squish of horses' hooves on the muddy trail. Two damp and weary riders stared ahead, looking for any sign of civilization.

"I thought there was supposed to be a town around here somewhere."

Hannibal Heyes looked over at his partner Kid Curry to see him scowling under the floppy brown hat. "There is...somewhere..."

"Well there better be. I ain't plannin' to spend another night sleepin' on this soggy ground."

"Don't worry Kid. You won't have to. I'll find you a rock to sleep on."

"I'm fixin' to find a rock to brain you with."

Heyes tried to hold back a smile as he turned to face forward again. They rode on quietly. As they turned a bend, he pointed up ahead. "Look there. I think I see the outlines of some buildings."

Another five minutes found them riding past a sign declaring the start of a town. Heyes pulled his mount to a stop as he quizzically looked at it. "Destiny Loop?" What kinda name is that for a town?"

"As long as there's a sheriff that don't know us, a place to get a hot meal, and a hotel with an empty bed, they could name it Outhouse for all I care."

Heyes clicked his horse back into motion and followed Kid toward what appeared to be the main street. Momentarily, they passed the sheriff's office. "Don't seem to be anyone we know in the law business here."

Kid was quietly checking out the surroundings. "Maybe we ought to keep going Heyes. This place has a weird feeling about it."

"What? Just two minutes ago you were ready to kill if you had to spend another night outside."

"Yeah, well, I'm havin' second thoughts."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is just another town on the trail, like all the rest. You'll feel better after some food and sleep."

"Maybe..."

They stopped and checked into the hotel, then after taking their horses to the livery, hurried to the cafe to get some dinner before it closed.

Later, back in their room, Heyes had settled himself down to read a little. "Well, Kid. Feeling a little better now?"

Curry threw the quilt back on his bed and climbed in. "Yeah, I guess so. That pot roast and this semi-comfy bed is helpin'." It wasn't two minutes after he laid down before he was snoring softly.

A little while later, Heyes put his book down on the nightstand and finally fell asleep.

* * *

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."

BANG

"SQUAAAWWKK..."

"What the..." Heyes jerked up in bed and grabbed his gun. After seeing nobody in the room with him, he got up and looked out the window. In the street below, the sheriff or deputy was pushing a staggering drunk who had apparently just shot a rooster toward the jail. A hand was run through the dark hair as Heyes put his gun back in his holster. He was getting ready to wash his face when the Kid unlocked the door and walked in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes grunted in reply. "Where have you been this early?"

"Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake ya, so I just brought you something back."

"I hope it includes coffee."

"Got it right here." Kid set the steaming cup on a table. "Were you awake in time to see the excitement?"

"The excitement is what woke me up. What happened out there?"

"Some guy spent all night with a whiskey bottle and didn't appreciate that rooster's wake-up call."

Heyes snorted a quiet laugh and turned back to the wash basin.

"Since we're runnin' low on money, I was glancin' at this paper while I ate and saw a couple ads for jobs. One's out at a small ranch patchin' up a barn. The other's deliverin' some documents out to a mine."

Heyes paused to peer at his cousin through the wash basin mirror. "Let me guess. You chose the delivery job."

Kid shot Heyes his most charming, innocent smile. "Well, I figured this time, I'd do the decidin' instead of that coin of yours."

* * *

Heyes stood in the livery stable tacking up his horse. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell the stable boy mucking out the next stall kept staring at him. Heyes turned his head and touched his hat in greeting. The boy nodded his head back and turned his attention back to his work. The only other time he looked up was to watch Heyes lead his mare out into the street. A smile creased his young face as the ex-outlaw mounted up and started his mare around the right corner of the livery.

* * *

Kid had already picked up the mining documents and was on his way out of town. The morning air was pleasant as the sun drifted in and out of cloud cover. He smiled smugly as he thought of the fact that he had gotten the cushy job this time. Heyes usually ended up with it either through manipulation or that dratted coin of his. He could just see Heyes cursing to himself up on the roof of a barn trying to patch it. Heyes wasn't the best when it came to carpentry. He'd say it was a safe bet his partner would return to the hotel with more than one cut or bruise on his hands. Kid let his horse plod lazily down the trail. No need to be in too much of a hurry.

* * *

Heyes was headed in the opposite direction after he had finally decided not to stop at the general store for any food or supplies. Besides, as Kid had pointed out, they were low on funds and the job ad hadn't said anything about needing your own tools.

The ranch lay just about twenty minutes ride from the town. He kept a close watch behind him as he rode. He didn't know why the stable boy had been staring at him, but he figured if he'd been recognized, he'd be running from a posse by now.

As he rode, he thought about how unfair it was that he had ended up with the job that required the most work. At least the Kid had a much longer ride than he did.

The ranch came into view. As he got closer, he groaned when he saw the repairs that needed to be done were on the barn's roof. Next time, Kid was definitely getting the hard job. He rode up to the ranch house where a middle-aged lady appeared on the porch wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked as she looked Heyes over. Heyes dismounted.

"Howdy ma'am. My name's Joshua Smith. I'm here about the job you had in the paper, patching up the barn?"

"Oh yes, yes. It's not a very big job, just finishing up patching the hole in the barn's roof. Shouldn't take no more than a day or two. My husband had started the work, but he got a telegraph saying his ma was real sick and he left to see her. He put the ad in the paper before he left so hopefully we could get the repairs done before any more rain. We have such a small ranch we never hired any ranch hands. Will you listen to me just goin' on and on. Come on in Mr. Smith and have a cup of coffee while I tell you about the job. By the way, I'm Mrs. Baker."

* * *

Kid was allowing himself to enjoy the ride even though his senses were still on guard. A good thing they were too. Up ahead, on the side of the road in a grove of trees, his eyes caught the slightest glint of sunlight hitting metal. He slowed his black gelding to a stop and pulled his Colt out of his holster.

"Hey up there," he called out in a commanding voice. "You might as well unload your gun and throw both the bullets and gun out on the road and come out of those trees. If I don't see both tossed out, I'm gonna have to start shootin' and don't think I can't hit you at this distance."

A normal man probably couldn't have made the shot, but the Kid knew his abilities well. And to prove his point to the would-be bandit, he shot the tree limb above where the man's head would be. It wasn't a few seconds later that he saw a handful of bullets and a gun slung into the road followed by a decidedly disgruntled highwayman with his hands raised. Kid kept his .45 trained on the man as he rode up to him.

"You know, hiding in full shadow is alot more effective than in partial sunlight," Curry said as he dismounted.

The man scowled at him. "Just who are you mister?"

"Somebody that's teachin' you a lesson. Now lay down there with your hands behind your back."

The man did as he was told as Kid dug some rawhide thongs from his saddlebag. "And just what lesson is that?" the man growled.

"Be careful who you try to rob."

* * *

Heyes had been told all the supplies he needed to fix the roof was in the barn. He went in and spotted a crate full of various tools next to a couple of barrels. As he reached down to grab a hammer, he heard a hiss from behind one of the barrels. He froze, his eyes searching desperately for the snake he knew was there. He couldn't find it. It was well hidden in the shadows and he had no idea how close it might be to him. He quickly debated the best course of action to take. Should he try to back up slowly so he wouldn't startle the creature or pull back fast in case it struck out at him? He decided and mentally prepared himself to jerk back as fast as he could possibly move.

He took a deep breath and jumped back as far as he could get from the crate and barrels. As soon as he had started to move, he heard an ungodly screech and a cat ran out from behind the barrel not happy at having its nap interrupted by this interloper.

Heyes released the breath he was still holding and frowned at the retreating animal. He frowned yet again when he saw what he had managed to jump on top off. "I'm beginning to hate nature," he grumpily muttered. He tried to wipe the brown mess off his boots and then gathered the tools and nails needed and went around the side of the barn where a ladder stood leaning against the wall.

To get the stuff he needed to work with up on the roof, he got a bucket, put his things in it, and tied a rope to the handle. He then climbed the ladder and stood on the edge of the roof to pull the bucket up. Once in the air, the stuff shifted in the bucket causing it to lean to one side as he pulled it up. Heyes didn't pay it any attention and halfway up, the bucket caught on a protruding nail in the ladder. Before he could stop pulling the rope so it could right itself, all the weight being on one side caused the bucket to tilt enough to drop its contents back to the ground.

'I should of just stayed in bed today,' Heyes thought as he descended the ladder to gather up the tools and nails laying about. This time, he made sure to distribute the weight evenly in the bucket and once back on the roof, stood away from the ladder to pull it up. From his vantage point, he noticed the two cows and horse in the pasture had stopped eating to watch him.

"Enjoying the show?" he called out sarcastically. As if in reply, the horse snorted and lowered its head to continue grazing.

Finally, after a few minutes, Heyes had settled himself next to the hole in the roof and started to work.

* * *

Kid had deposited the unruly bandit next to the road tied to a tree. He lead the man's horse off just around the bend and left it to graze to its heart's content. He figured it would take the man at least an hour to get himself out of the trussed up state he'd left him in. Even then, he'd have to locate his horse, so Kid wasn't worrying too much about him.

The rest of the ride to the mine was pretty uneventful thankfully. As he rode up, two men started walking towards him. One of the men was apparently the mine foreman and he didn't look happy at all.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"My name is Jones and I was hired to bring these documents up here," Kid explained as he dismounted.

"I told that banker not to be sending anymore men up here to try to serve me that nonsense. Now, you just git right back up on your horse and go tell Reynolds my brother owns this land fair and square and he ain't got no legal reason to foreclose on it."

Kid stared at the irate man. "Look mister, I have no idea what you're talkin' about. I'm just supposed to give you this envelope and then go get paid and that's what I aim to do. Whatever business you got with this Reynolds guy don't involve me none. I'm just tryin' to do a job."

"Well, as soon as you rode onto this property you got involved."

The man's companion stepped forward to put in his two cents. "Looks like old Reynolds went and hired himself a gunslinger to do his dirty work. A man don't wear his gun like that less'n he means to use it."

Kid turned an icy blue stare at the foreman's minion. "I ain't a gunslinger and even if I was, I wouldn't hire out my gun. Now, you gonna take this envelope?"

"No, we're not. You better just take it and git. We ain't gonna tell you no more." The man backed up as he spoke and squared up to Curry.

"And I ain't gonna tell YOU no more that I ain't leavin' until this document's delivered." Kid could tell by the man's cockiness that he wasn't going to back down. He sighed inwardly. This was supposed to have been the easy job. He readied himself for the inevitable.

His opponent sneered at him. A tense few seconds passed and the man went for his gun only to find it shot off his hip before he could grab it. Kid reholstered his revolver and turned back to the foreman who had his mouth gaped open. "Now, I suggest you take this and let me be on my way." The man only nodded in reply.

* * *

"SON OF A ...," Heyes did his best to surpress a yell as he hit his hand for what seemed like the hundredth time. He looked down at the newest bruise forming and added carpentry to his list of jobs too hard on the back, or in this case, hands.

After the pain had subsided a bit, he reached for another shingle. There was none to be found. He rolled his eyes as he got up to go down the ladder yet again to get some more.

There were a couple of rungs left to step down onto when his foot slipped and he fell flat on his butt. He lay there a moment gritting his teeth. When he got up, pain temporarily shot up his back. He shook it off though as he was pretty sure one couldn't break one's rear.

He gathered together some shingles and went back to the roof.

* * *

The sun was low on the horizon when Heyes decided to quit for the day. He stretched as he stood up. At least he was almost finished. He COULD'VE been finished had he not had his mishaps and trudged up and down that ladder a thousand times. Plus, he could've worked a little harder. Tomorrow, Kid could come help him so it wouldn't take long to complete.

He reached the ground and went up to the house to let Mrs. Baker know how much he had gotten done and that he was leaving. She insisted on paying him half of what she would owe him when the job was completed. He gladly took it and told her he would be back in the morning.

* * *

He made it back to the saloon about five minutes before Kid showed up. He was leaning on the bar looking kinda rough when Curry walked over to him and ordered a drink.

"You look like you had a good day," Kid quipped sipping his beer.

Heyes just glared at him. He decided to change the subject. "Did you enjoy your leisurely ride to deliver that document?"

It was Kid's turn to glare. "I've had better days."

"Well, I'll bet you didn't have as much aggravation as I had."

"Oh yeah. That's one bet you'd lose Joshua." He gulped down the rest of the beer. "I'm going after some dinner. You comin'?"

Heyes nodded and finished off his own drink.

After they had finished eating and filling each other in on the day's events, they retired to their hotel room.

"With both of us working on that roof tomorrow, we should be done by noon and can relax the rest of the day," Heyes said removing his boots.

"Think that lady will pay extra since both of us will be workin'?"

"I'm sure I could convince her to." Heyes reclined against the bed's headboard and opened his book.

"Well, I sure hope you're more successful at that than you were hittin' nails," Kid smirked looking at Heyes' hands.

Heyes snorted at him and started to read. Kid lay down and was asleep within minutes.

Heyes read for about ten minutes then suddenly felt extremely sleepy himself. He turned to place his book on the nightstand. Before he could lay it down, it slipped out of his hand. He tried to grab it, but only succeeded in tearing the paperback cover. Rolling his eyes, he picked it up off the floor and put it on the table.

* * *

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."

BANG

"SQUAAAWWKK..."

"What the..." Heyes jerked up in bed and grabbed his gun. After seeing nobody in the room with him, he got up and looked out the window. In the street below, the sheriff or deputy was pushing a staggering drunk who had apparently just shot a rooster toward the jail. A hand was run through the dark hair as Heyes put his gun back in his holster. He froze where he stood and a confused look appeared on his face. "Now wait a minute..." He was still standing there when the Kid unlocked the door and walked in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes grunted in reply but didn't move.

"What's wrong with you?"

Heyes shook his head. "Uh...nothing. Where've you been?"

"Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake ya, so I just brought you something back."

"I hope it includes coffee." Heyes stopped and furrowed his brow.

"Got it right here." Kid set the steaming cup on a table. "Were you awake in time to see the excitement?"

"That's what woke me up," Heyes answered absently scratching his head.

"What's wrong with you? You fall out of bed and hit your head or somethin'?"

"No...uh...you ever felt like you've done the exact same thing before?"

"Don't guess so. Unless you're talking about runnin' from posses or somethin' like that. We've certainly done that before."

"No. I mean the EXACT same thing. Same things happening, saying the exact same thing..."

"You've lost me Heyes. Do you feel hot? You got a fever?"

"I ain't sick Kid! This same scenario has happened before, yesterday morning."

"Heyes, yesterday mornin' we was pickin' ourselves up off a cold, damp ground gettin' ready to drink that sludge you call coffee."

"No we weren't. We were here in this town. A gunshot woke me up."

"You must have had a dream Heyes. We just got here last night."

"It WASN'T a dream Kid! We were here. I spent all day working. Just look at the bruises on my hands."

Kid looked at Heyes' hands as he held them up. After a second, he looked his cousin in the eyes. "There ain't no bruises there."

"What?!" Heyes examined his hands for himself. Just as Kid had said, the bruises weren't there. He dropped back down on the side of the bed. Then he noticed his book. He was sure that he had ripped the cover last night. But there it was, perfectly intact. After a moment, he went to his saddlebag and retrieved the little bit of whiskey he had and dumped it all in his coffee.

Hoping his partner's temporary insanity was over, Kid told him what he'd found in the paper. "Since we're runnin' low on money, I was glancin' at this paper while I ate and saw a couple ads for jobs. One's out at a small ranch patchin' up a barn. The other's deliverin' some documents out to a mine."

Heyes just looked at Kid. Maybe he was right and it had all been a dream. He'd heard of people having such realistic dreams that they'd think they'd actually happened. That had to be what was going on. There was no other explanation for it.

Kid continued. "And I figured this time, I'd do the decidin' instead of that coin of yours. I'm takin' the delivery job."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hannibal Heyes walked down the hotel stairs in a sort of daze. He couldn't shake the strange feeling he had no matter how much he tried to convince himself it was just a dream. He handed his room key over to the desk clerk and walked out into the street. Looking around, he saw the sheriff leave and lock the door to his office. There were some kids playing in front of the general store. A lady was sweeping the porch of the boarding house down on the corner. Lots of people going about their morning business.

If he HAD been here yesterday, he hadn't noticed most of what was happening at that very moment. But he had been in kind of a foul mood and in a hurry when he stalked to the livery stable and could've just not paid much attention to what anyone was actually doing. He shook his head and started walking to get his horse.

He was still deep in his own thoughts as he entered the livery and started saddling up his mare. Kid had to be right. It had been a dream. Days just didn't repeat themselves. There was no logical way that it could happen that he knew of. And as much as he kept up with the daily newspapers wherever he could get them, he would've read about any new scientific discoveries.

He mounted up and rode out of the stable, a concentrated look on his face as he decided he wasn't going to think anymore about something that crazy. He had a job to go do, a physical, laborious job, thanks to his partner. He turned his horse to the left around the livery corner and almost rode straight into a man who was coming around to the front.

"Oh, sorry sir," Heyes said as he sharply pulled his mare up. "Didn't see you there."

"Better git your mind on what you're doin' there young man," growled a grizzly old farmer. "No need to be in such a hurry."

Heyes just tipped his hat in apology and grinned as the man stared hard at him. "Yes sir, I'll do just that." He had more pertinent things on his mind than to argue with an old timer.

As Heyes rode off, he didn't notice the young man who had been cleaning the stalls watching him and smiling. He also didn't notice the old man pause when he reached the livery door, then turn to head toward the sheriff's office.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~ooooooo

"SON OF A ...," Heyes did his best to surpress a yell as he hit his hand for what seemed like the hundredth time. He looked down at the newest bruise forming and added carpentry to his list of jobs too hard on the back, or in this case, hands. Oh well. Maybe the pain would keep that nagging feeling of repetition out of the back of his mind.

After the pain had subsided a bit, he reached for another shingle. There were none to be found on the roof with him. He rolled his eyes as he got up to go down the ladder yet again to get some more. As he neared the edge, he heard what sounded like four or five people walking up to the barn.

"Hannibal Heyes...we know you're up there and you're under arrest. Now, you slowly come to where we can see you with your hands raised. And don't think about trying anything. We've got five firearms down here pointed in your direction."

Heyes stopped dead in his tracks. Where had those people come from? All the hammering he had been doing must have drowned out the sound of horses riding up. The barn being out away from the house hadn't helped any either. Panic started to rise up in him, but he forced himself to calm down. Shaking his head and raising his hands, he finished walking to the edge of the roof. Sure enough, there was the sheriff and four posse members pointing their guns up at him.

"Afternoon Sheriff," he called down. "What's all this about? I'm not Hannibal Heyes. My name's Joshua Smith."

"Don't think so Mr. Heyes. I had someone in town hunt me down and tell me they knew what you looked like and that they'd seen you ride out in this direction. Took a little time to form a small posse and some tracking, but we found you. Now, slowly take your gun out and toss it down here."

Heyes sighed as he slowly complied. This certainly hadn't happened in his dream. "Sheriff, I'm telling you whoever told you that is wrong. This has happened before, me being mistaken for Heyes. It'll just turn out being an inconvenience for both me and you."

"Well, it'll just have to be an inconvenience. I'm taking you in. Come on down this ladder."

Heyes descended the ladder, rolling his eyes in the process. There were a couple of rungs left to step down onto when his foot slipped and he fell flat on his butt. He lay there a moment gritting his teeth. He heard a couple of the posse members snickering.

The sheriff was even trying to surpress a smile. "Just...stay down there while we get these handcuffs on you."

Heyes let himself be cuffed and helped up on his horse that one of the deputies had retrieved. The sheriff and his posse then mounted up. "Let's go men and keep a look out. We got ten thousand dollars here and I don't want to lose it."

'I hope whoever recognized me didn't get a look at the Kid,' Heyes thought as he was led back to town.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~oooooooo

The jailhouse of Destiny Loop had four small cells, but that was four too many for Hannibal Heyes.

"Sheriff Murray listen, you have to believe me, I am NOT Hannibal Heyes. My name really is Joshua Smith." He was lightly pushed into one of the cells as he kept protesting. I'm sure there's just been a mistake." He stifled a shutter as the door locked shut.

"We'll see in just a minute. I sent my deputy to fetch the man that identified you."

Murray had no more than got the words out and sat down at his desk when the door opened and his deputy strode in with the old man Heyes had almost run over earlier behind him.

The Sheriff stood back up. "Alright Mister Turner. Is this the man you say is Hannibal Heyes?" He pointed to the cell.

Old man Turner stepped up to the bars and answered, "Yessir Sheriff. I'd remember him anywhere. Why, that no-good hoodlum almost ran me over this morning when I's going to the livery to get my wagon and go home."

Heyes gave his most charming smile. "I don't believe we've ever met Mister ... Turner... was it? You've just mistaken me for that outlaw. It's happened before. Why just last week..."

"Save your stories sonny. I never forget a face. Saw you once years ago when you and that Plummer gang was hoo-haaing it up in the saloon at Boom Town. I was the bartender there for years before I got enough money to buy myself a little farm. You stayed there half the night drinking and playing poker while every gal in the place tried to get your attention."

Heyes got quiet. It was no use arguing anymore. He'd tried all day to convince the lawman that he was just an ordinary citizen, but now, the Sheriff had confirmation. Heyes remembered the saloon he was talking about vaguely. He and the Plummer Gang had been celebrating their most recent successful robbery and had stayed until the wee hours of the morning. It must've been a good night he mused, because he had awoken in the arms of one of the painted ladies the next day.

As the ex-bartender turned around, Heyes sat down on the bunk and ran his hand through his hair. At least the man had seen him with Jim Plummer and not Kid Curry.

"Now Sheriff, if you don't mind, I need to be going. I should've been back at the farm hours ago. We'll talk tomorrow about the reward money." Turner left and Sheriff Murray smiled in Heyes' direction.

"Well, Mister Heyes. I wonder where that partner of yours is."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~oooooooo

Kid Curry walked into the saloon when he returned from his delivery job and leaned on the bar. He ordered a beer and wondered where Heyes was. 'Probably worn out from having to actually do a little work today. Wouldn't surprise me if he's already in bed complainin' about how hard a day he's had', though the Kid. He'd just taken a swallow of amber liquid when he caught the words 'Heyes' and 'arrested' from the other end of the bar. He caught himself as he almost spit out his beer. Nonchalantly, he turned toward the man. "Didn't mean to overhear, but did you say somebody was arrested here today?" Kid asked politely trying not to look too interested.

"Yessiree. Wasn't just somebody either. It was Hannibal Heyes! I was part of the posse what brought him in."

"Hannibal Heyes huh. What about that."

"It was something. Old man Turner recognized him. Too bad he didn't have Kid Curry with him though. I'd a loved to have been able to help bring both of them in."

"Does Turner know what Curry looks like too?"

"Don't think so. Said he remembered Heyes from the Plummer gang and said he was alone when he ran into him today."

"Yeah, LITERALLY, ran into him!" the man's friend added which brought laughter from both of them.

"What do you mean?" Kid asked curious.

"Farmer Turner said he was heading into the livery when Heyes came around the corner on his horse and 'bout ran him over!" This brought more laughter from the two who apparently were getting a little soused.

Kid nodded at them and turned to leave the saloon. He had to go talk to Heyes.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~oooooooooo

A solitary figure moved silently down the alley behind the sheriff's office. He looked up and saw a small barred window. He quickly found an abandoned crate to stand on and hoped he could get his cousin's attention from within. He slowly rose to peek over the window's edge. He glimpsed a familiar dark hair of head just below him. He got off the crate and picked up a couple of pebbles. Then he climbed back up and dropped them on his partner's head.

Heyes looked up annoyed but then realized what rocks dropping in out of nowhere could mean. He glanced toward the front of the office and saw Sheriff Murray in deep concentration on some paperwork. He quietly got up and stood on the bunk to look out.

"Sure am glad to see you," he mouthed as silently as he could.

"You'll do anything to get out of work won't ya?" Kid smiled.

Heyes smirked at him. "Listen, they found all the lockpicks I had on me. You'll have to get me my other ones out of my gray coat."

"Alright. I'll be back as soon as I find them and pack up, then you can let yourself out."

Heyes shook his head in agreement then got off the bunk before the Sheriff had a chance to look up and see him. Then he sat back down and leaned against the wall.

Curry stepped off the crate and made his way to the end of the alley. He was glad it was dark out. Maybe he wouldn't be seen. He stepped out of the alley about the same time Murray's deputy walked around the corner of the building.

"Hey," the deputy called out. "What were you doing back there?"

Kid rolled his eyes and turned around. "Nothin'. Just got lost on my way back to the hotel."

"Hotel's on the other end of town. Kinda hard to miss."

"I just got into town this evening and got turned around in the dark. Well, g'night." Curry started to walk off.

"Now wait just a minute. I may have a little alcohol in me but that still sounds funny. I think we should go in and see the Sheriff."

Kid sighed with his eyes shut, then turned around again. "That's no problem," he lied.

"Alright then. Let's go." The deputy waited until Curry walked in front of him and followed him around to the jail's door. They went in and Heyes' eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Sheriff, I saw this man come out of the alley behind the jail. Looked kinda strange to me so I brought in here."

"In the back huh?" Murray stood up and walked around his desk. "That is a little strange, especially when we've just today arrested a notorious criminal."

"Like I told your deputy here, I'm new in town and just got turned around trying to get back to the hotel." Kid's face was cool as a cucumber while on the inside he was sweating bullets.

"Well, that may be. Could you remove your hat please?"

Curry hesitated slightly but the complied. Heyes just put his head in his hands.

Murray looked him over. "You know what else is strange mister? You kind of fit the description of our incarcerated outlaw's partner. Now there would be a good reason to be in the alley behind the jail. Maybe planning a jailbreak?"

"Now Sheriff, I have no idea what you're talking about. I just came from delivering some documents up to the mine. Just took my horse to the livery. You can check my story if you want."

Murray nodded at his deputy who was still standing behind Curry. Promptly, Kid felt his Colt being lifted out of its holster. "Oh, I am gonna check. But I can't do it tonight. Hafta wait 'til morning. So in the meantime, you can spend the night here."

The Kid inwardly moaned. Murray continued.

"Look at this way. I'll be saving you a night's rent at the hotel."

Kid stared at the Sheriff through narrow eyes. Murray motioned him to the unoccupied cell. Curry went in and sat down as the door shut. As soon as Murray went back up front, Kid looked over and caught Heyes' eyes. The looked they shared spoke volumns. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

"What the..." Heyes jerked up in bed and grabbed his gun. After seeing nobody in the room with him, he got up and looked out the window. In the street below, the sheriff or deputy was pushing a staggering drunk who had apparently just shot a rooster toward the jail. Heyes grabbed the windowsill with both hands and shook his head as he stared out. "I was in jail," he said in a whisper, eyes widened. He was still standing there when the Kid unlocked the door and walked in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes turned to stare at his partner, a wild look on his face. "I was in jail. I was supposed to wake up in jail. We both were."

Curry stopped where he was, then smiled. "Yeah, that's what all the lawmen think. We should be in jail."

Heyes shook his head and walked back to the bed to return his revolver to his holster. "No Kid. I mean last night. We were in jail last night. I got arrested then you got pulled into the sheriff's office for being in the alley behind the jail. They put you in a cell too."

The Kid stared hard at his cousin. "Heyes, yesterday mornin' we was pickin' ourselves up off a cold, damp ground gettin' ready to drink that sludge you call coffee."

Heyes clapped both hands over his face and sighed, aggravated. "You're telling me you don't remember being locked up last night?"

"No Heyes. We just got here yesterday." Kid started to worry about his partner. Had he caught a fever or something?

"NO WE WEREN'T." Heyes was starting to look slightly insane as he grew more animated. "This is the third day we've been here. The first day I worked on a barn. Yesterday, we both ended up behind bars. This morning started just like the other two mornings with me getting woke up by somebody shooting a rooster. Something extremely strange and wrong is going on around here."

Kid didn't know what to say. He set the coffee and food on the table and sat down, all the time watching his frantic cousin.

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy Kid. I know what I've, we've, been doing the last three days."

Curry wasn't sure about the crazy part. "Have you been up drinking this morning while I was eatin' breakfast?"

"NO. I told you the shot woke me up." Heyes stood with both hands on his hips. "I can't believe you don't remember any of this." Now, he started to pace aggitatedly.

Kid just kept staring. "Maybe we ought to get you down to the doc's office. You must've fell out of bed and hit your head. Or all those past head injuries have finally caught up with you."

Heyes flopped down on the bed and looked his partner in the eyes. "I'm not crazy Kid," he said quietly. "I'm not drunk, I'm not sick. I'm fine. It's the rest of the world that's screwed up and my own cousin don't believe me."

Kid was starting to get frustrated by that point. "Heyes, I can't pretend to believe something I know for a FACT hasn't happened."

Heyes jumped back up. "Why not?! We pretend to be something we're not everyday!"

"Last night, we had just GOT HERE! NOBODY WAS IN JAIL!"

"I THINK I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING BEHIND BARS AND BEING IN A HOTEL!"

Kid closed his eyes to try to calm his rising anger. He reminded himself that something had to be seriously wrong with his partner. He brought his voice back down to a normal level. "I don't know Heyes. I don't know what's wrong with you and..."

"NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME!"

That was it. "ALRIGHT THEN, FINE." Kid rubbed his hand over his face then stood up menacingly. "We'll just see about that. You're goin' to visit the doc and we'll see what he says."

"I am NOT going to see a doctor."

"Oh yes you are. One way or another you are. Now get dressed."

"I said I'm NOT SEEING A DOCTOR!"

Curry sighed then walked over to Heyes and crossed his arms. "Yes...you are."

"What? You're gonna flatten me if I don't go?"

"Like I said Heyes, one way or another, you'll be seeing the doc this morning. Now you can walk to his office or I'll drag you there unconscious."

Heyes balled up his fists and stared icily at Kid. A tense moment passed, then Heyes sighed. "Fine. I'll go. But when the doc says I'm perfectly fine, I'll be taking the delivery job. You can go work on the barn this time." He turned to get ready.

Kid stared after him, a strange look now in place on his face. 'How did he know about that...?"

oooooooooasjoooooooooo

"Well, Mr. Smith, you're as healthy as a horse far as I can tell." Doc Bowman put his stethoscope on the table as Heyes finished buttoning up his shirt.

"But Doc, something can't be right with him. He swears up and down we've been here three days," Kid said standing in the doorway.

"You heard him Thaddeus. He says I'm fine. Now will you shut up?"

"Mr. Jones, I honestly can't find anything wrong with him. There's no signs of any kind that he's had a head injury, he isn't drunk. I have to admit though, I, myself, saw you boys ride into town yesterday afternoon." The doc glanced at Heyes to see his reaction.

Heyes just rolled his eyes and jumped off the exam table. "Doc, thank you. Thaddeus, pay the man. I got a delivery job I got to get to." With that, Heyes stomped out the doctor's office leaving the two men staring after him.

"Sorry Doc. He gets a little proddy sometimes."

"Don't worry about it Mr. Jones. But listen, now that he's gone. If he's still keeping that business up about three days tomorrow, bring him back to see me. I'm going to telegraph a friend of mine back east. He's been studying brain related matters. We'll try to figure out what in the world could be causing him to lose track of time like that."

"Thanks Doctor Bowman," Kid said as he paid him. "I have to admit I'm worried about him." They shook hands and Curry left to go fix a barn's roof.

ooooooooooasjooooooo

Heyes knew to go to the bank to pick up the papers to be delivered. Kid had told him all about it night before last. He went to get his horse, being careful to stay out of sight of a certain old farmer. He saw the old man going into the livery so he changed direction and went to the bank first. This time, he noticed that the stable man had been watching him.

ooooooooasjooooooo

Kid Curry pulled his black gelding up in front of the farmhouse. From this distance, the barn's roof didn't look all that bad. He walked up on the porch and knocked on the door. Momentarily, a middle-aged woman appeared at the door.

"Howdy ma'am. My name's Thaddeus Jones. I've come about the ad you had in the paper about fixin' your barn's roof."

"Oh yes. It's not a very big job, just finishing up patching the hole in the barn's roof. Shouldn't take no more than a day or two. My husband..." She stopped. She had been looking hard at Kid throughout her explanantion. "Uh, I'm sorry. My husband won't be able to help you. He's hitching up the wagon around the back of the house. We're...supposed to go pick something up in town. All the tools are in the barn if you want to get started. We'll be back soon."

Any other time, Kid would've found that conversation awkward. But after dealing with Heyes all morning, nothing seemed strange. "Yes ma'am," was all he said as he tipped his hat to her and lead his horse out to the barn.

oooooooooasjoooooooo

Heyes was deep in thought as he rode to the mines. He was actually starting to worry about himself. What if something was wrong with him? What if he had finally thought too much and was losing his mind? Would he end up locked away in an asylum instead of prison? He had to make himself stop that train of thought. There was nothing at all wrong with him. He decided to wait until the morning. If it started out the same way tomorrow, he'd know for a fact the day was consistantly repeating. Then he would have to somehow find out what was happening and figure out how to stop it. And figure out how to make Kid believe him instead of thinking he was going insane.

He was so deep in thought about it, he completely forgot the story Kid had told him about being robbed on the way to the mine. He also didn't notice the glint of sunlight on metal up ahead of him.

Momentarily, a voice called out from the treeline. "Just hold it right there mister."

Heyes closed his eyes and sighed. Now, he remembered what Kid had told him about the man beside the road. He pulled on the reins to stop and raised his hands. "Hey now. What's this all about?"

The bandit stepped out into the road holding his gun steady on Heyes. "Well, this is about me gittin' some money. Now, git down off'n that horse and don't try nothin'. I ain't one bit scared to put a hole in you."

Heyes slowly dismounted, a little unsettled at the nervousness in the robber's voice. Apparently, he hadn't been making his living long doing this sort of work. "Mister, I'm sure we could come to some kind of agreement if we just talk rational for a bit."

"Ain't got no time fer talkin'." The man dug in his jacket and produced a pair of handcuffs. "Walk over to that tree."

Heyes was surprised to see the extra hardware the man had pulled out of his pocket. The thought of a bounty hunter quickly went through his head. "Now just what is a man like you doing packing around handcuffs?"

"Let's just say I borrowed them when I left another town's jail in a hurry. Now MOVE."

Heyes reluctantly walked over to the tree pointed out to him. He was handed the cuffs.

"Now you just hug that tree there and put those handcuffs on."

Heyes rolled his eyes and shook his head as he put his arms around the medium sized tree and attached the silver bracelets to his wrists. "I can't believe this," he mumbled.

"What's that?" the highwayman asked harshly.

"Nothing. Just get on with it," Heyes replied just as harshly. His nerves were shattered by now.

The man chuckled and started digging in Heyes' pockets. He found two dollars in his jacket. "This all you got?"

"Yes, it is."

The disgruntled bandit grunted in aggravation and turned to search Heyes' saddlebags. Not finding anything he deemed worthy of stealing there, he walked into the trees and mounted his horse. "Well, you just ain't worth nothin'." Heyes hid his face and had to grin at the irony of that statement. The man spurred his horse and took off at a full gallop.

Luckily for Heyes, the inexperienced robber hadn't taken his gun or his horse. He was quite uncomfortable hugging that tree and manuevered down to the ground to a sitting position until he could dig in his boot. It wasn't easy, but he was finally rewarded with the lockpick he had hid there. A few minutes later and he was free. The frustration that had been building quickly over the last three days almost made him angry enough to go after the man and teach him a lesson. But two dollars wasn't worth it right at the moment. Besides, he had some documents to deliver. He checked his saddlebags to make sure they were still there, then mounted up and continued his trip to the mine.

oooooooasjooooooo

Kid Curry had gathered together what he needed and was on the roof of the barn starting on his second row of shingles when he heard the sound of approaching horses. Must be the lady of the house and her husband back from town. He descended the ladder to meet them when they arrived. Surely the lady wouldn't mind him asking for a little lunch. He had worked all morning after all.

He had just rounded the corner of the barn when the horses came into clear view. There were more coming back than had left. He thought briefly about getting his gelding and riding away, but by the time he could get him out of the barn and saddled, the riders would be there. He just sat down on a bale of hay and waited. Maybe he was worried over nothing.

A minute or so later, his fear was confirmed. Two of the riders wore tin stars on their vests. He stood and thought about what he was going to say. He found himself wishing for his partner's silver tongue.

The sheriff and his posse skidded to a stop with their guns drawn. The farm lady was just now coming into view, alone in her wagon. Sheriff Murray jumped down from his saddle in one smooth motion.

"Kid Curry, I'm placing you under arrest."

"I think you got the wrong man Sheriff. My name is Jones." Kid did his best imitation of something he'd heard Heyes say before.

"No sir Mr. Curry. Mrs. Baker was quite adament about having Kid Curry out working on her barn. Seems her husband was in a bank that was hit by the Devil's Hole Gang once and got a real good luck at one of the men holding the bank patrons at gunpoint while his partner was back at the vault. He described the gunman real good to her. Now, with your left hand, give over the hardware nice and slow.

Kid did what he could to hide the disappointing smirk on his face. He sighed as he handed over his Colt.

"Tie him up Palmer."

The deputy dismounted and tied Curry's hands behind him as another posses member went in the barn to get his horse. By the time they had the gelding saddled and the Kid in the saddle, Mrs. Baker pulled up in her wagon. Kid tried not to look at her, but that didn't stop her from staring at him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Curry, but my husband and I could really use that reward money right about now." She actually looked kind of sorry, but not enough to reverse her accusation. Kid said nothing as he looked straight ahead.

"Thank you Mrs. Baker. You can come into town tomorrow and we'll talk about that reward. Of course you'll understand we'll have to have Curry's identity confirmed first." Sheriff Murray climbed aboard his horse and motioned for Deputy Palmer to take Curry's reins in his hand to lead him back to town. Kid dropped and slightly shook his head as they started the ride.

ooooooooooooooasjoooooooooo

After being robbed and handcuffed to a tree, Heyes was even more deep in thought. How could he let that happen to himself? His brow was furrowed as he rode up to the mine. As he approached, one of the men, who was apparently the mine foreman, came walking up to meet him. He didn't look happy at all.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded.

Heyes forced a smile onto his face."My name is Joshua Smith. I was hired to bring these documents up here," Heyes explained.

"I told that banker not to be sending anymore men up here to try to serve me that nonsense. Now, you just turn that horse back around and go tell Reynolds my brother owns this land fair and square and he ain't got no legal reason to foreclose on it."

Heyes kept his friendly smile directed at the irate man. "Well now, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just told to deliver this envelope for fifty dollars. But I'd be glad to take a message back to this man Reynolds if you like." Heyes was trying his best to charm this man into a friendlier mood, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working.

The man's companion stepped forward to put in his two cents. "Looks like old Reynolds went and hired himself a gunslinger to do his dirty work. A man don't wear his gun like that less'n he means to use it."

Heyes turned his gaze on the minion. "Sir, I assure you, I'm not a gunslinger. Why, I hardly ever pick this thing up out of the holster."

The two men weren't buying it. "Is that so? You just happened to have it tied down like that for no reason? I don't think so. Now, git off that horse." The man backed up as he spoke and squared up to Heyes.

Heyes sighed inwardly. This was supposed to have been the easy job. "Really, can't we just talk this over? Look, just take the envelope. I don't care what you do once you have it. Tear it up if you want. Say you lost it or it got destroyed before you got a chance to read it. All I want is to be able to tell that banker I delivered this and get paid."

The foreman had heard enough. He pulled his revolver and leveled it at Heyes. "The man said to get off your horse."

Heyes stared a hole through the men as he dismounted. "I'm telling you, I'm NOT a gunfighter."

"We'll see about that." His opponent sneered at him. Heyes wasn't slow, but he found himself wishing he had his partner's speed. A tense few seconds passed and the man went for his gun. Heyes quickly jerked his pistol out of the holster to aim at the man's shoulder, but before he could fire, the foreman saw that his minion was going to be beat. He fired his gun which he already had aimed at Heyes and hit the ex-outlaw square in the chest.

Heyes felt like his heart had exploded as he hit the ground. The last thing he heard was the man asking his friend why had he interfered. Then blackness overtook him.

oooooooasjooooooo

Kid Curry had been sitting in the jail cell for about two hours wondering where his cousin was. That question was answered when Deputy Palmer burst into the sheriff's office.

"Sheriff, we need to get up to the mine. One of their security guards just took a dead man on horseback up in front of the bank door. He hollered and told Newman not to be sending anymore men with those fake papers up to the mine and then rode off."

Kid's breath caught in his throat. It couldn't be...

"Who was the poor man?" Sheriff Murray asked as he rose and grabbed his hat.

"Newman told me his name was Joshua Smith."

"You stay here and guard the prisoner. I'll go take care of this." Murray hurried out the office door.

Kid felt like he was going to pass out right there on the bunk. Heyes couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. He cursed himself for letting Heyes go up there. He had decided that morning over breakfast that he was taking that job. His head fell into his hands as he fought back the tears forming in his eyes. He was in shock, completely heartbroken ...and alone.

ooooooasjooooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

"What the..." Heyes eyes flew open and he immediately grabbed his chest. There was no blood nor any sign or symptom that he had ever been shot through the heart. He sat up, looked himself over, then quickly got up and looked out the window. Just as before, in the street below, the sheriff or deputy was pushing a staggering drunk who had apparently just shot a rooster toward the jail. Heyes grabbed the windowsill with both hands. "I got shot yesterday," he whispered to himself. "I was shot dead." His eyes wide, he looked down and checked himself thoroughly once more. He was perfectly fine. He looked up. "This day IS repeating..."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

oooooasjooooo

'It's impossible', Heyes thought. As he came to the realization of the repeating day, Kid opened the door and walked in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes turned to stare at his partner, a wild look on his face. He ran over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders causing Kid to drop a little of the coffee he was holding on the floor.

"Kid, I know this is going to sound like the most insane thing you've ever heard, but you have to believe me."

Curry was taken back by the panic in his partner's eyes.

"Kid,...this day is repeating itself."

"Uh...what?" The gunslinger shrugged out of his cousin's grip and sat a sandwich and what was left of the coffee on the dresser.

Heyes ran his hand through his hair and tried to calm down. "This day is repeating. This is the third or fourth time we've woke up here."

Curry furrowed his brow. "Repeating days. Mhmm. Heyes, have you been drinkin'?"

"NO I HAVE NOT! We went through this yesterday morning and I ain't doing it again. I ain't drunk, sick, crazy, or anything else. And I AIN'T going to the doctor so just forget about that."

"I hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it..."

"I was SHOT DEAD yesterday. Shot! Right through the heart. But, here I am this morning trying to convince you I ain't crazy. Now explain that."

"Heyes, if you were shot dead, I reckon I'd be buryin' you by now, not listenin' to this wild imagination of yours."

The ex-outlaw leader threw his partner a look. "I was shot in the chest yesterday. I'm fine this morning. Not a mark on me. Well, not any new ones. Anyway, what possible reason could I have to make up a story like this?"

"To get out of workin'."

Heyes started getting dressed. "Kid, listen. You are the only person who could ever tell when I was lying. Well, what does that sixth sense tell you now?"

Curry had to admit it. Heyes had him there. "I don't think YOU think you're lyin'. But days don't repeat themselves Heyes. I think something's really wrong with you. Maybe somebody drugged your beer last night at the bar or somethin'."

Heyes exhaled in aggravation as he pulled his boots on. "Alright. Don't believe me. I'm telling you I'm fine and I'm going out to try to figure out what's going on. You just make sure you go on that delivery job."

"Where are you gonna go?"

"Somewhere to find some answers." With that, Heyes left the room letting the door slam behind him.

Kid dropped down in a chair. What in the world was wrong with his cousin? Had he lost his mind. He got up to go follow him. As he opened the door, he found Heyes about to come back in.

"And listen, don't be following me. I don't need no babysitter. We got three dollars between us so GO on that delivery job." Heyes turned and left.

"Fine," Kid said to thin air. Then it hit him. "How did he know about the job? I hadn't told him yet..."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes had no idea where to start. He'd never heard of or even thought something like this could happen. He stopped in the lobby of the hotel to think a second. Maybe he could talk to some of the old timers of the town. They should know if something like this had happened before. He turned to the hotel clerk.

"Excuse me. I'm a writer and I'm trying to find out some history about this town you know of anybody that could help me?"

The clerk thought for a moment. "Well, there's that old farmer Turner. I saw him in town earlier. You might catch him before he leaves if you head to the livery."

"NO," Heyes said a little too forcefully. He remembered it was Turner that had identified him the day before yesterday...or two days ago...whenever. The clerk looked at him strangely. "I mean, I saw him the other day and he just sent me to talk to the sheriff. I'm talking about townsfolk that's been here a long while. I'm sure there's someone older than Turner I can talk to isn't there?"

Again, the clerk took a minute to think. "Well, you might go see Widow Logan. She's as old as the hills. Lives on the north side of town in the boarding house. But I warn you, her mind's not what it used to be. Sometimes she'll start a story and you'll wind up hearing the biggest tall tale in the country. Why, she once told me she fought off a whole band of Apache with nothing but a broom and a bucket of potatoes."

Heyes grinned. "Thanks. I'll give it a try." He left the hotel and stood on the boardwalk. If he remembered right, this was about the time that Turner man would be going into the livery. Thankfully, he was going in the other direction.

He had to pass by the jail and by doing so, saw the sheriff leave and lock the door to his office. Heyes inconspicuously lowered his head a little and tipped his hat to him. He kept walking and saw there were some kids playing in front of the general store a little further down and across the street with a ball. As he neared the boarding house, a lady was sweeping the porch.

"Morning Ma'am," he said as he walked up. "My name is Joshua Smith and I was looking to visit the Widow Logan. I'm a writer and wanted to talk to her about some history."

The lady stopped her sweeping to look him over. "You don't look like a writer."

Heyes flashed her a dazzling smile. "Well, I like to try to blend in where ever I go. I don't like to be noticed."

The lady raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, you sure are a slick one," she said.

"Not so much slick as charming I assure you."

The lady finally smiled at that remark. "C'mon in. I think Widow Logan is sitting in the second floor parlor." She turned and led the way inside.

oooooasjooooo

Kid Curry was worried about his cousin. Heyes had always been a little weird at times, but this was a whole new level of weirdness. He decided that if Heyes was still talking about repeating days when he got back from delivering these papers, he'd make him see a doctor one way or another.

Kid was so preoccupied, he missed the sun glint slightly off something metal in the trees. As he neared the place in the woods that the hidden bandit was in, he had the sensation of being watched. Quickly, he drew his Colt and called out, "I know you're there. You might as well come out with your hands up."

A man emerged from the trees. His hand was raised, but not in the way that Curry had meant. "Alright mister. You better just throw that gun down before I shoot you. This here's a robbery and I don't care to do it."

Curry glared at the man. He could see in his eyes that he was nervous. Must be new to the business. A nervous man with a gun was never a good thing. In an instant, he made a decision and shot the gun out of the bandit's hand.

The man's eyes grew wide as saucers and he nearly peed himself. He wheeled around and ran back into the trees.

"Hey, get back out here," Kid called.

The scared man did indeed come back out, but he was on his horse and he hightailed out of Curry's way.

Kid reholstered his pistol as the man rode around the bend and out of sight. "Well, at least maybe I made him rethink his career," he mused.

oooooasjooooo

"...And then a few more injuns come out of nowheres so's I grabbed some 'taters..."

Heyes concealed a smile as Widow Logan finished up her daring tale of bravery against a whole tribe of Apache attacking her small spread. She was almost as good at spinning a story as he was himself. Except, she believed it to be true. Maybe it was, he didn't know. "That's quite a tale Mrs. Logan."

"Ah shoot sonny. Call me Delores."

"Alright then, Delores. Say, can I ask you a question?"

"Listen sonny, I ain't interested in gittin' remarried. One man was enough."

Heyes chuckled silently. "Well, that's my loss then." Mrs. Logan giggled. "I wanted to ask you about the history of Destiny Loop."

"Well, you've come to the right place. I've lived here near all my life adult life."

"Has anything really...strange...ever happen around here?"

Delores sat deep in thought for a couple of moments. "I can't really recall anything out of the ordinary. Course, this wasn't always a civilized town. Used to be occupied by injuns, and lots of 'em. That was until after the war. Then some Calvary men came here and told them they had to move. Well, they didn't take too kindly to that at all. They spent three days I think it was fightin' afore them injuns started running out of arrows to shoot."

Heyes was intrigued. "What happened next?"

"Listen sonny. I can't hardly recall what I ate fer breakfast. You're lucky I 'member that much. Now, it's time fer my midday nap so's I'll just be gittin' back to my room. Good talkin' to you sonny." Delores grabbed her cane and was slowly rising out of her chair. Heyes stood to help her when he heard a commotion coming from out side. He and Delores both looked out the window to see a runaway wagon going down the street. At the same time, one of the smaller children that had been playing with the ball lost hold of it and ran after it. They watched in horror as the child ran directly into the side of the speeding buckboard and was thrown backward landing near the boardwalk.

It wasn't a second later that the town doctor ran over to her as some others mounted up to help chase down the wagon. Doctor Bowman bent down and listened to the child's chest as a woman, supposedly her mother, ran out of the general store hysterical. Bowman gently picked the child up and hurried to his office.

Both Heyes and Delores were relieved to see that the child hadn't been killed. Heyes took out his pocketwatch and noticed the time.

oooooasjooooo

As Heyes left the boarding house, he stopped to say goodbye to the lady that had let him in. Then a thought occurred to him. "Is there a library in this town?"

"No. Nothing like that here. We barely have enough books for the schoolhouse."

"Alright. Well, thanks ma'am." Heyes tipped his hat to her and left the house. He slowly walked along the boardwalk trying to decide where he could find out some more information. He had to be careful. At least one man in the area knew who he was. He decided he needed a drink.

He walked into an almost empty saloon. The evening had barely started so many of the establishment's patrons hadn't made it in yet. He walked up and leaned on the bar with a distant look in his eye. The bartender walked up.

"What'll you have?"

Heyes brought his mind back to where he was. "A beer."

The barkeep studied Heyes as he poured his beverage. "You look like you're a thousand miles away. What's on your mind?"

Heyes looked up. "Huh? Oh, ah, nothing." He took a drink of amber liquid.

"Uh huh. I been bartendin' a looong time. I know that look. Is it a woman?"

Deciding the bartender was going to be persistant, he answered, "No, not a woman." He took another drink. "So, you been around here awhile have you?"

"Almost ten years."

"Has anything...strange, or weird...ever happen around here?"

"We've had some strange characters come through here from time to time, but not nothin' much out of the ordinary I don't guess."

Heyes just grunted in reply. Another drink. "Know anything about the indians that used to live in these parts?"

"Indians? No, not much. Just know they got run off their land here a while back right before the town was formed."

Heyes just nodded in reply. He looked at his watch as some people began to file into the saloon. The Kid should be back in a couple of hours. Maybe he could wait around for a poker game to start.

oooooasjooooo

"Call," Heyes said as he spread out his full house on the table. He had started with two dollars and now had twenty laying in front of him.

"Dang it!" the last man holding cards yelled as he threw his hand down in disgust. "I don't know how, but you must be cheatin'."

"I assure you I'm not cheating," Heyes smiled as he raked in yet another pot.

"Well, I say ya are," the man growled.

"And I say you shouldn't be so expressive when you get a bad hand," Heyes countered. This brought a few laughs around the table. The man glared at Heyes and looked as if he were going to stand up to challenge the master poker player when his buddy next to him slapped him on the back.

"Now Charley, he's got you there!"

"Nobody can read me at cards," Charley insisted.

His friend laughed. "EVERYBODY can read you like a book. That's why you rarely get out of here with your shirt on."

Heyes's laugh joined in with the others. "Told you Charley. Why don't you take your last two bits and go get a drink."

Charley sneered as he grabbed his last few coins and left the saloon, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Some fellas just don't know how to lose," Heyes said as he started to shuffle the cards.

"Yeah, and Charley sure is one of 'em. I'd stay clear of him the rest of the night. He's pretty unpredictable when he's loaded and lost money."

oooooasjooooo

The game continued for another thirty minutes before Heyes got up to leave. Kid was due to show up any minute so he decided to just meet him outside to go get something to eat. He stepped outside on the boardwalk and looked toward the end of town. 'Right on time,' he thought as he saw his partner leaving the livery stable.

"Hey Thaddeus," Heyes called to get his attention. He started walking towards him. He had to pass an alley and as he did, a man came out and walked up behind him. Kid saw the movement in the shadows.

"HEY...JOSHUA! BEHIND YOU!" he yelled and drew his gun but the man was directly behind Heyes.

Heyes started to turn, but as he did, the man known as Charley stabbed a hunting knife into his back. Heyes collapsed to his knees. At the same time, Kid's surprise turned to fury and he emptied his gun into the man. Charley fell on his back bleeding, dead before he hit the ground.

Curry ran to his partner who was now laying on his stomach. He rolled him onto his side. "Heyes!"

By this time, the gunshots had brought out the saloon crowd and the sheriff. "What's going on over here?" Sheriff Murray yelled as he ran over. When he saw what had happened, he called out, "Somebody go get the doc now!"

Kid was still trying to get Heyes to answer him. "Hey...Joshua. Joshua, you hear me?" Panic was evident in his voice.

Heyes tried to speak but it came out as a whisper. "Kid?"

"Yeah, Joshua. It's 'Thaddeus'. You're gonna be fine." He wished he could be as confident as he made his voice sound.

"What happened?" Sheriff Murray asked as he knelt down.

"My partner here was coming to meet me at the livery when this idiot came out of that alley and stabbed him in his back." Kid was furious and scared. He could hardly keep his voice from quivering.

Murray looked back at the man. "Looks like ole' Charley must've lost bad at poker again. I warned him he'd go to far one of these days. I take it you were the one that shot him?"

Curry looked at the sheriff. "Yeah, it was me," he said flatly. He looked back at Heyes as he started to cough. "Joshua? Joshua?!"

Doctor Bowman then showed up. His voiced was hurried. "C'mon. Help me get him to my office." Between Kid, Murray, and the doc, they got Heyes carried to the office in no time. They laid him face down on the table. "It's going to be tricky taking this knife out."

"Just do it Doc and hurry!" Kid felt like he was going to pass out any moment. He bent over and looked at Heyes. He was deathly pale. "Don't you leave me Joshua."

To Heyes, Kid sounded like he was on the other side of a train tunnel. All he heard was 'Joshua' as he slipped into darkness.

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

"What the..." Heyes eyes flew open and he sat up in bed. After a second, he fell back onto his pillow as he exhaled loudly. "Thank God."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

oooooooooasjooooooooo

Hannibal Heyes jumped out of bed and started getting dressed. Somehow, he had to get to the bottom of whatever was happening to him. Apparently, he was the only one affected by the repeating day. Everytime he'd tried to explain it to his cousin, Curry had thought he'd lost his mind. He decided not to try it today. He needed some time to get his brain around what was going on and proving to Kid he wasn't insane wasn't productive.

As he came to that conclusion, Kid Curry walked in the door.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes turned toward him. "Morning Kid."

"Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake ya, so I just brought you something back."

"Thanks."

"Were you awake in time to see the excitement?"

"The excitement is what woke me up." Heyes went to the wash basin to wipe the sleepiness from his eyes.

Curry sat the coffee and food on the table. "Since we're runnin' low on money, I was glancin' at this paper while I ate and saw a couple ads for jobs. One's out at a small ranch patchin' up a barn. The other's deliverin' some documents out to a mine."

Heyes spoke before Kid could continue. "I'll take the barn job. You go deliver the

papers."

Kid was caught off guard. It wasn't like Heyes to want the harder job. He eyed him carefully. "Heyes, you feelin' alright?"

"You've asked me that for the past...," Heyes stopped mid sentence. He had started to say 'past four mornings', but that would just provoke an interrogation. "I mean, how come you're always asking me that?"

"Because sometimes, you're just plain weird. But, if you insist, I guess I'll take the delivery job." Curry was smiling on the inside.

"Fine. Shouldn't you be going?"

Kid once again studied Heyes. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me."

Heyes finished drying his face off. "No. You just want to make sure you go grab that job up before someone else does. Easy jobs advertised in the paper don't stay open for long."

Kid was still staring at him. "Well, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. How many times have we found an easy job advertised only to find it filled when we got there to take it?"

"Alright, I'm goin'." Curry rolled his eyes and started for the door.

"I'll be leaving myself as soon as I eat this."

"Well, be careful. You know you have trouble nailin' two boards together."

"I'll be fine," Heyes smirked, hoping in his mind that his statement would be true today. Getting killed off the last couple of days had him wary. He watched as Kid left, then sat down at the table to eat and collect his thoughts.

'Alright,' he thought. 'I went to the barn, ended up arrested because of the old man at the livery. Went to the mine, got killed. Stayed in town, played poker, got killed. Who've I ran into...? Sheriff Murray on multiple occasions, Widow Logan, that guy that tried to rob me, those jerks at the mine, those fellas at the poker table, that old farmer Turner...was that all...? It's all running together...WAIT...there was someone else. That guy that works in the stable. Everytime I'm near the livery, he's been staring a hole through me, but he's not turned me in, so he must not know who I am. BUT...maybe he knows something else...'.

Mind made up, Heyes finished his sandwich and coffee and left the hotel room. After looking to make sure ole' Turner was gone home, he headed toward the livery stable.

The stable man looked up and smiled as Heyes entered. "Hello," the man said with a seemingly knowing smile. He leaned his pitchfork up against the wall of one of the stalls and wiped his hands with his bandana. Upon closer inspection, Heyes noticed the man's skin had a darker tint to it, like an Indian.

"Howdy," Heyes answered. "Say, you got a couple of minutes to spare?"

The man looked around and seeing they were alone said, "Why yes I do...Mr. Heyes."

Heyes was shocked to say the least, but kept his poker face in place. "You must have me mistaken for somebody else. My name's Joshua Smith."

The man smiled even larger. "Alright then Mr. ...Smith. We will go with that. So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, for starters, how long have you been around this town? I'm trying to find out some information."

"Mr. Hey...Smith. Ask me what is really on your mind."

"Excuse me?"

"You are in the middle of a rather...unusual situation and you are trying to find out what's going on."

There emerged a crack in Heyes' facade, but only slightly. He managed to maintain his neutral look. "What do you mean?"

"Do you seem to be waking up in the same place day after day, doing, not maybe the same thing, but something similar perhaps. Are you stuck in a seemingly endless...loop?"

Heyes' look finally faltered. He couldn't hold it in any longer. "Alright buddy. What do you know?"

"Calm down Mr. Heyes. It is alright, I assure you."

"It is most certainly NOT alright. I've been here in this crazy town for four, five days now. Or is it really just one? I don't know. I DO know I want some answers. I seem to be the only one affected by it. My own partner thinks I'm nuts if I tell him about it. So, I'll ask you again...WHAT do you know?"

"Mr. Heyes..."

"Smith."

"Mr...Smith, I think there is someone else you need to talk to. He lives south of here, right outside of town in a little one-room cabin. He is known as Cat Of A Thousand Circles by his people. He told all the townspeople to just to call him Cat."

"But why..."

"Just go Mr. Smith. You may be enlightened." With that, the man turned back to his work.

Heyes sighed in exasperation. Giving in, he saddled his horse and went to find this Cat person.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes rode about fifteen minutes south of Destiny Loop. Sure enough, over a little ridge, was a small cabin with a little garden growing beside it. A fire pit built from rocks lay on the other side of the house. He rode up to the porch and dismounted. The place actually looked quite cozy and well kept. He knocked on the door. A moment later, it opened.

"I have been waiting for you to show up Mr. Heyes," said a wizened Indian with long gray hair. "Please come in."

Heyes hesitated a moment. "It's Joshua Smith and how could you know I, or anyone, was coming?"

"No, Mr. Heyes. Your name is not Joshua, it is Hannibal. Do not fear. I have no desire or need to claim the price on your head."

He didn't know if it was the kind, calming way the Indian spoke, or just his general demeanor, but Heyes believed him. Besides, he wasn't going to argue with anyone that could possibly explain to him what was going on with this crazy day. He walked inside.

"Please, sit down. My tribe's customs do not permit me to tell you my given birth name, but to the white man, I am known as Cat Of A Thousand Circles. You may call me Cat."

"You can call me whatever you want if you can tell me what's going on around here," Heyes said as he sat down in a chair made from wood and elk antlers.

"You have been experiencing an unusual phenomenon, have you not?"

"That's one way to put it."

"Hannibal, there are things in this world beyond comprehension. Like, why do some things happen? What would happen if you had done something differently, followed a different path, taken things into your own hands instead of letting others take control. Take yourself for instance. You have no doubt questioned your path many times. Was this path chosen for me? Can I change it? Is destiny written for every child born into this world before they are even here? Unfortunately, I do not have the answers."

Heyes opened his mouth to speak, but Cat put up his hand.

"I am one of the last remaining members of my tribe. They were ran off this land many years ago. My father was chief at that time. When the white man came and forced my people to leave, my father spoke a curse on this land. I was small at the time and do not remember all he said. All I know is that for some people who enter this land, they shall forever be in an endless loop, destined to relive the same day forever. People of the tribe were exempt from the curse if any chose to come back, but we can and have seen it happen to certain people. That is how myself and my half brother at the livery stable know who you are. We have seen and heard all that has happened to you so far."

"I've never heard of such a thing. I don't...didn't even believe in things like curses. So, how do I break it?"

"That, I do not know. Some men have never broken the loop. Their only way out was death by natural causes, old age. Twice, men have found the secret to break the loop. But I cannot say what it was."

"You mean to tell me I could be stuck reliving this same day until I die of old age?"

"Yes," Cat rose to stand in front of the window. "Unless, you find the secret that will lead you out."

Heyes closed his eyes and sighed.

Cat turned to face him. "Do not worry Hannibal. I am sure with your level of intelligence, you will resolve the puzzle."

Heyes stood up. "Well, thank you for your time Mr...uh, Cat. I think I'll head back to town now." He walked toward the door. Cat opened it for him.

"Remember Hannibal, this town is named Destiny Loop for a reason."

"Yeah. It's destined to drive me crazy. Well, goodbye." Heyes went out and mounted his horse.

"Goodbye Hannibal,...and good luck."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes rode back into town. He wanted, no, he needed a drink. He was definitely NOT going to play poker this time though, unless it was a game that that guy Charlie wasn't in. Getting stabbed in the back once was enough. He dropped his horse off at the livery and walked toward the saloon. He pulled out his pocketwatch to check the time and as he did, he heard a commotion from somewhere way down the street. A runaway wagon rounded the corner and was headed straight down main street. Heyes remembered the incident from the day before and took off at a run toward the general store.

Just as a ball bounced out in the street, he leapt and grabbed a small child who had started after it. The wagon flew by at that moment. The child was startled by being grabbed and began to cry. A woman ran out of the general store to see her daughter in the arms of the ex-outlaw on the ground. Rage filled her eyes until witnesses began to thank and congratulate Heyes on probably saving the little girl's life. The woman was quickly filled in on what had transpired and ran to her daughter to sweep her up in a hug. Heyes picked himself up off the ground and the woman turned to him. Placing her daughter on her hip, she immediately embraced Heyes in a hug as well.

"Oh thank you thank you THANK YOU!" the woman cried. I could never thank you enough for saving my little Lily!" She let go of Heyes and started digging in her bag. "I don't have much, but here, take it please." She reached her hand out which held a dollar and two bits.

Heyes closed her hand over the money. "Seeing your little girl alright is thanks enough," he said politely.

"At least let me treat you to dinner," she insisted. "You can at least come to my house and let me fix you a homecooked supper."

"Really, I..." Heyes started to decline, but the watery eyes of the thankful mother changed his mind. "Well, if you insist ma'am."

"Please, call me Annie."

oooooasjooooo

She led him to a small house on the outskirts of town. It was a modest little house with two bedrooms and a small garden.

Annie bustled around the kitchen as Heyes played with little Lily at the kitchen table. "I hope you like chicken stew Mr. Smith."

"Please, call me Joshua. And I happen to love chicken stew." Heyes was busy drawing a cat as requested by Lily.

"I still could never thank you enough for saving my Lily."

"It was nothing Annie. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Well, it means the world to me. Lily's all I got left after my husband passed."

"Sorry to hear that."

"We get by, don't we sweetie?"

Lily giggled as Heyes finished her kitty. She immediately asked for a horsey so her kitty would have a friend.

"Now Lily, don't pester Mr. Smith."

"Oh, she's no bother. I enjoy drawing on occasion." He stifled a smile as he thought back to all the plans and bank floorplans he had drawn out.

"Well, as soon as you're done with her horsey, it'll be time to eat."

"Sounds good." Heyes hurried and finished Lily's horsey which she named 'Joshua'. The kitty's name had become Lily.

Annie set the table with the help of Lily who insisted on giving Joshua his bowl, then served the stew.

"I have to say this is the best meal I've had in days," Heyes smiled.

And indeed it was.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' eyes flew open and he sat up in bed. "I'm beginning to hate that rooster." He rubbed his eyes and got up to get dressed. He had made a decision. He was going to make his cousin believe him today. Maybe he could help solve the mystery. The Kid had always had helpful input on his robbery plans, sometimes coming up with things he hadn't thought of. As he made his way to the water basin, the door opened and Kid Curry walked in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes turned to stare at his partner as he wiped his face off. No time like the present. "Kid, sit down. We need to talk."

Curry furrowed his brow. "Talk? About what?"

"Just...sit down."

Kid walked over to the chair beside the window and sat down. He put the cup of coffee, sandwich, and newspaper he held on the table beside him. "Alright, I'm sittin'. What do you want to talk about?"

Heyes sat down on the edge of the bed and faced his partner. "Kid, this is going to be REALLY hard for you to believe, but I swear to you I'm telling you the truth. Kid...this day is repeating for me."

Kid stared at his cousin. "Repeating...Heyes are you feelin' alright?"

Heyes rubbed his face with one hand. "I'm fine. I'm not drunk, sick, going crazy or anything else. I swear on a stack of Bibles this high I'm not trying to pull a joke on you. I'm dead serious. I've lived this same day at least four times now."

Kid cocked his head and glared at Heyes. "I think you need..."

"NO. I don't need to see a doctor. DANG IT. WHY DON'T YOU JUST BELIEVE ME?!"

"Calm down Heyes. If you're wantin' me to believe you ain't crazy, you're doin' a poor job of it."

Heyes shut his eyes tight. "Alright, if I'm just going insane, how would I know that you've been looking in that paper while you ate and found two jobs, one delivery and one fixing up a barn? Now explain that."

Kid glanced at the paper. How DID his partner know that? "Alright, you've got my attention. How on earth did you do that? You been spyin' on me this mornin'?"

"NO." Heyes lowered his voice. "No. I knew it because I've been through this before with you. You were also going to say you were going to do the deciding this time instead of my coin weren't you?"

Curry looked Heyes straight in the eyes. "Yeah, I was. But it's impossible Heyes. Days don't repeat. Once a day's gone, it's gone."

"No, it's not. In the last four days, I've been arrested and killed twice. But every morning, I wake up to that blasted rooster crowing like nothing's happened."

Curry couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "No, it can't be true."

Heyes was exasperated. "Alright Kid, look out that window. In just a couple of minutes, the sheriff is about to leave his office and lock the door behind him. A lady is going to go down the boardwalk holding the hand of a little girl in a plain blue dress and ribbons in her hair and an old farmer who can identify me is going to walk towards the livery. Just watch."

Kid sighed but he looked out the window. A few minutes later, the events happened just as his cousin had said they would. He slowly turned back to face him. "How did you do that?"

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU!"

"Okay, okay. But why? And why is it only you doing it?"

"I have no idea. Yesterday, I went to talk to an old Indian. He told me I was stuck in a loop, but didn't say how I could get out of it. I have to figure it out unless I want to repeat this day until I die of old age. That's why I need you to believe me. I need some help. I'm not quite sure where to go from here."

"So you're telling me that tomorrow mornin', this day'll start over for you but I won't remember nothin' about it?"

"Yes. Unless I find the way to make it stop."

"Well, maybe we both could go talk to the Indian today. Maybe he'll tell us something more."

"Maybe, but I doubt it. Guess it couldn't hurt anything though. Let me drink that coffee and we'll go."

oooooasjooooo

Cat Of A Thousand Circles watched as two men rode toward his small cabin. He knew immediately who it was when the sun caught the silver conchos on the black hat just right. He walked out onto his porch to await their arrival.

Before they reached the cabin, Heyes turned in his saddle. "Now, this fella knows who we are. Well, at least he knows me. But I think we can trust him."

Curry looked concerned. "If you say so."

As they rode near, Heyes threw his hand up in greeting. "Howdy Cat. Brought a friend with me today. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course not Hannibal."

The boys reached the hitching post and dismounted. Cat shook Kid's hand.

"I take it this is your partner Hannibal. Welcome Mr. Curry. May I call you Jedediah?"

"Uh,...Jed will be fine." Curry found it unnerving being in the presence of a stranger who knew who he truly was. Cat picked up on his uneasiness.

"Do not worry Jed. As I told Hannibal yesterday, I have no desire or need to turn either of you in. Now, shall we go in?" Cat stepped back and allowed the two ex-outlaws to enter his cabin. "Please sit down. May I offer you something to drink?"

"No thanks Cat," Heyes said. He decided to get straight to the point. "I finally got my partner here to believe me. Are you sure there's nothing else you can tell us to help me figure out this problem?"

"I told you all I could yesterday. I have nothing new."

"Well, if you can't help him figure out an answer, is there any way that I could remember this in the mornin' so I could help him? If he has to spend every mornin' tryin' to explain what's happenin' to him, it'll drive us both nuts."

"I am truly sorry Jed. There is no way I know of. Everything resets every morning for Hannibal, except his memory."

"Well how come you ain't affected by the...whatever it is...resettin'?"

"My people are exempt from the...curse, if you want to call it that."

The disappointment was evident on both boys' faces. "Thanks anyway, Cat. We'll get going. Don't want to waste your time." Heyes stood to leave. Curry followed him out the door.

Cat stood in the doorway as the two mounted up. "Hannibal, I can tell you this one thing. Clarity is the path to inner peace."

Heyes was confused, but nodded at the old Indian. "See you around Cat." With that, they set off toward town.

oooooasjooooo

"I'm at a loss Kid," Heyes said as they neared town. "What's that supposed to mean, clarity is the path to inner peace? Reckon he's saying I need inner peace before this will stop?"

"I don't know, but if it is, you're up the creek."

"Gee thanks." Heyes stopped talking to think, but only for a second. "What do I need inner peace for? How does anybody have that? How on earth would you get it?"

"Why are you fixated on that? That might NOT be the answer. You said he said he didn't know the answer to tell you."

"Well, maybe he's telling me something that might help."

"I don't know Heyes. This is the weirdest thing I've ever heard of. The solution is probably just as strange."

"You could be right. Let's get a drink."

They dropped their horses off at the stable and made their way into an almost empty saloon. They got a couple of beers and a table in the back corner. Heyes sipped his, deep in thought.

"Heyes, maybe you're thinkin' too hard on this. This is somethin' that don't make sense. Maybe tryin' to think logically about it ain't gonna work this time." Kid drained a third of his glass in one gulp.

"You know, usually you're telling me to get my head OUT of the clouds."

"I'm serious. You might have to get a little creative to solve this. You've certainly done it before. Ain't always worked, but you done it."

Heyes took a good long drink of amber liquid. "My plans have always worked...in some form..."

Kid smirked at the comment. No use arguing that point. It never led to anything good.

"But you're right Kid. And I just thought of the first creative thing I'm going to try. I'm going to beat that drunk to shooting that rooster in the morning. Maybe that stupid bird is the key." Heyes finished his beer and stood to leave.

Kid almost choked on his.

oooooasjooooo

Two ex-outlaws crept through the shadows at 5 a.m. behind the town's buildings.

"Heyes, this is crazy. I was talkin' about thinkin' creatively, not insanely. You don't even need me here. I don't think the rooster will be armed. Even you can get the drop on him."

"SHH. You might scare the rooster off. He must be around here somewhere." Heyes stealthily moved through the dark. "Alright, judging from the direction the sheriff pulls that drunk from every morning, that rooster must come through here. All we have to do is sit and wait for it."

"No. All YOU have to do is sit and wait for it. I'm too tired to be involved in bird murder. You've lost your mind. I'm goin back to the hotel room and lay down. Have fun." Curry turned to leave.

"Well go quietly," Heyes hissed. As his partner left, Heyes pulled out his revolver, sat back against the back of a building, and got comfortable to wait for the arrival of the foul bird.

Thirty minutes later, his head dropped to his chest as he lost the battle to stay awake.

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' eyes flew open and he sat up in bed. "CRAP! I fell asleep."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hannibal Heyes jumped out of bed and started getting dressed. He stopped in the middle of buttoning up his shirt. Why was he in such a hurry? Apparently, he had all the time in the world. This repetition was really starting to drive him crazy. What he needed was a day to relax and think without running all over creation like a rat drinking coffee. He finished buttoning his shirt and pulled on his vest, boots, and gun belt. Kid Curry opened the door as Heyes reached it. He started talking before Curry had a chance.

"Sorry Kid. Gotta run. Found a job and gotta be there quick. Tell you about it later." And with that, he was gone down the hallway and stairs.

Kid just stood staring after him for a minute. "What the heck was that all about?" He walked in the room and sat down the items he was carrying. "Guess I'll just take this delivery job."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes waited until old man Turner had left the livery and went in to get his horse. He touched his hat and nodded at the stable man as he saddled up. He didn't know or care where he was going exactly. He just wanted away for a while.

He pointed his mare out of town and into a canter. He had noticed there was a creek near the town and decided to spend some time beside it. A nice, quiet, shady tree where he could lay and think sounded pretty good at the moment.

He rode about thirty minutes before he found the perfect spot. A small boulder situated next to a bristlecone pine right at the water's edge. He dismounted and led his horse over to the serene looking place and loosely tied the reins to the tree so she could graze on the grasses. He walked over and sat down in the shade, back against the boulder. Staring at the water gently flowing by, he began to think.

What had Cat meant when he had said, 'Clarity is the path to inner peace'? Did it mean he needed to find peace within himself before the loop would break? What peace? He had so many troubles in his life, he didn't know if peace was possible within himself. Or maybe it wasn't that at all. Maybe he was there to do or prevent something. He sure wished he could find those guys who had managed to break the loop and ask them how they did it. This wasn't going to be something solved by his silver tongue or his cousin's fast draw. At least he didn't think so. There had to be a clue as to what would break it. And he had to find it. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life living one day over and over. Monotony was not something he enjoyed.

He watched some birds playing on the other side of the creek. Innocent little birds. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been called innocent. He wished he could be free as a bird. But thanks to the governor, freedom just kept being dangled in front of him, just out of reach. Not only him, but his partner too. His ever faithful partner. His cousin, whom he had led into a life of crime. He felt so much responsibility and guilt over that. He often wondered if the Kid held it against him.

Heyes decided to stop that train of thought. It was just depressing. He turned his mind back to the loop theories. Kid wasn't affected by it so it had to be something to do with just himself.

Heyes felt tired, physically and mentally. The soft gurgle of water flowing over rocks actually began to relax him. His eyes started feeling heavy just sitting there and before he realized it, he was asleep.

oooooasjooooo

He'd been asleep for a while before he woke up. He stood up and stretched. A boulder didn't make the best pillow. A thought hit him as he stood. Had he been in town every night during this loop business? It was actually hard for him to remember. The days were all running together. Maybe if he stayed out of town, he wouldn't get woke up by that blasted rooster, and therefore, the loop would end. It was worth a try. He mounted up and headed back to town to get his bedroll. He'd make up some story to tell Kid.

oooooasjooooo

He got back to town and stopped in the saloon to get a drink. Then he went to the cafe and got a couple of sandwiches to take with him. He made his way to the hotel to pick up his bedroll and leave Kid a message saying he'd got hired to do an overnight delivery and that he'd be back in the morning. Hopefully, his partner wouldn't come looking for him.

He was tying his bedroll behind his saddle when a man walked out of the cafe and stood watching him. Heyes mounted up and when he turned his horse around, the man looked off quickly. But he looked back to watch the ex-outlaw ride out of town.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes was going at a leisurely trot when he heard a horse coming up behind him fast. That always made him nervous and he urged his mare into a canter. Then a gunshot rang out and he took off at a full gallop. Who in the world was chasing him? It was only one horse he heard so it wasn't a posse. Who cared? He just needed to worry about getting away.

He was gaining a little ground on his pursuer when his horse's front left leg found a hole in the road and fell, landing hard on her rider's leg. She scrambled up and limped off a little ways, clearly upset while Heyes lay on the ground. He gritted his teeth in pain. He just knew his leg was broken. Trying to stand just confirmed his fear. He looked down and his lower leg was curved in a rather unnatural way.

The pursuing rider saw his bounty go down and quit shooting. He slid to a stop. "Hold it right there, Heyes.," the bounty hunter ordered.

"I ain't got no choice now do I," Heyes said testily. "My leg's broke. And I AIN'T Hannibal Heyes."

"Oh yes you are. I've seen you before. Just didn't get a chance to go after you before a posse did. Guess it's my lucky day. Seeing you out running around without your bodyguard and now you can't run at all from me," the bounty hunter sneered. "And to think I just stopped in town for a cup of coffee."

"You gonna just sit there and gloat or you gonna help me up?"

The bounty hunter laughed and jumped off his horse. He took Heyes' gun. "Put your hands behind your back."

Heyes glared at the man but complied. His hands were quickly and tightly restrained.

He then went and retrieved Heyes' mare to lead her back. Her limp wasn't as bad now Heyes noticed. At least her leg wasn't broken.

"Now, I ain't gonna make your horse suffer, so's you're gonna ride double with me." The bounty hunter grabbed Heyes under his arms and jerked him up none too gently.

"OW! You think you could be a little more careful?"

"Probably could." The bounty hunter helped Heyes hop over and pushed him up onto his gelding's back. Then he mounted up behind him. "Now, you ain't going nowhere. And if you start that mouth of yours, I'll gag you." He grabbed the reins to Heyes' horse and rode back to town.

oooooasjooooo

The cell door clanged shut. Heyes really hated that sound.

"Don't worry Mr. Heyes," Sheriff Murray said. "Doc should be here in no time to take a look at you."

"Thanks Sheriff," Heyes squeaked out between short rapid breaths. He tried to get a little comfortable on the bunk, but that was near impossible with his leg hurting as bad as it was. He really wasn't all that worried. He hadn't done anything of any significance so the loop should start over again in the morning and he'd be good as new. In the meantime though, he was in serious pain. That ride into town had about killed him. He made a mental note not to go in the cafe in the afternoons.

The door to the sheriff's office opened and Doc Bowman hurried in. He and the sheriff made their way to Heyes' cell. Murray opened the door.

"Never thought I'd be working on an infamous outlaw," Bowman said setting his bag and supplies down. Heyes gave a snarky smile. Sheriff Murray brought the doc a chair. "Now, let's see what the damage is." He examined Heyes' leg carefully. After a couple of moments, "Yep, that leg is definitely broken. Going to have to put splints on it after I make sure the bones are aligned." Bowman reached in his bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Here. You're going to need lots of this before we start."

oooooasjooooo

Later that evening, Kid Curry walked into the saloon after his job for a drink. He got the bartender's attention and ordered a beer. Next to him, stood a man talking about the outlaw he had just fixed up over in the jail. Curry inwardly moaned. He could guess who that outlaw was, but he had to make sure.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing. What outlaw did you fix up?"

Doc Bowman grinned. "Hannibal Heyes. Can you believe that?"

Kid kept his poker face on. "What was wrong with him?"

"Broke his leg somehow. Some bounty hunter brought him in."

Curry didn't want to leave immediately so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. So he drunk half the glass of beer, then left. He walked into the alley behind the jail and found a window. He had to stand on a crate to see in. Sure enough, there was his partner, laid out on the bunk with splints on his leg. He looked to be asleep. Probably from laudanum the doc had given him for pain. Curry decided to let him sleep a while, then he would come back to talk to him.

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' eyes flew open and he just laid there. He moved his leg just to make sure he was alright. Just as before, he was fine. He stared at the ceiling. He felt like just giving up but he couldn't.

He was still staring at the ceiling when Kid walked in holding, as usual, a sandwich, a newspaper, and a cup of coffee.

"Mornin' Heyes."

"I'm in Hell."

Curry stopped in his tracks. "What was that?"

"I said I'm in Hell. Somewhere, at some point, something killed me and now, I'm in

Hell."

Curry didn't know how to respond to that.

"And my eternal punishment for all my wrong-doing is reliving this same dang day over, and over, and over."

Kid furrowed his brow and sat his items on the table. "Heyes, what's wrong with you?"

Heyes was unnervingly calm with his statements, at least at the start. "I already said it. I'm reliving this same daNG DAY! IT WON'T STOP, NO MATTER WHAT I DO OR WHAT HAPPENS."

Kid just stared at the disturbed ex-outlaw leader. "Ooookaaayyyy."

Heyes jumped up at that moment. He pointed his finger at the confused man. "I'm NOT crazy Kid. Don't look at me like that." He started getting dressed.

"Well what do you expect? You wake up telling me something like that and everything's supposed to be normal?"

"I ain't going through this again." A shirt was put on.

"Going through WHAT?!"

"THIS! This conversation. I ain't having it for the...however many times it is now." A vest was pulled on.

"WE AIN'T NEVER HAD THIS CONVERSATION!"

"YES WE HAVE! Now I'm going out there today and I WILL figure out this puzzle." A gun belt was buckled.

"You ain't leaving here 'til you start makin' some sense." The black hat was grabbed by a lightning quick hand.

"You grabbing my hat ain't gonna stop me. I'm going." Heyes started for the door.

Kid hurried over and grabbed his arm hard, spinning him around. "I said you ain't runnin' around talkin' like this. You'll get yourself..."

"What? Killed? Arrested? All that's already happened more than once." He jerked his arm free.

Kid moved to stand in front of the door. "I was going to say someone will have you committed. You're talkin' crazy. Now go over there and sit down so we can talk this

out." Curry gave him a stare that would send most men running for the hills.

"NO. I said I'm leaving and that's what I'm doing. Now MOVE or I'll flatten you." Heyes tried to reach around his partner to get the doorknob.

"ALRIGHT THEN. GO ON!" Curry yelled furiously. He moved to let his insane cousin out. He decided he'd just follow Heyes. Better than fighting with him.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes entered the livery and quickly found the stable hand. He went over to him and backed him up against the wall. "Alright. Now you listen. You've got to have some clue as to what I need to do to stop this dang loop business."

"I am truly sorry. But I have no idea what does it. But it has to be something to do with you."

"I've already figured out that much." Heyes ran a hand through his hair as he rolled his eyes. He suddenly reached out and grabbed the man by the shirt. His eyes seem to darken as he spoke. "I KNOW you know something. You and your brother-in-law or whoever he is just ain't telling me. WHY?!"

Curry ran in at that moment and saw what was happening. He hurried over and grabbed Heyes' arms. "What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind? Let him go, Joshua."

Heyes let go and breathed out in exasperation. When Kid let go of him, his hand went to his face and he sighed, trying to calm down. "I'm sorry."

"It is alright. It is understandable," the stable man said.

Heyes turned to leave with the Kid on his heels. When they were outside, Curry stopped him. "C'mon, Joshua. You're going to the doctor."

"No, I'm not. There's no use in it. I'm fine."

"You're anything BUT fine."

"SHUT UP THADDEUS!"

That was it. Kid had reached his breaking point. He drew back and laid Heyes out on the ground. His partner glared up at him as he held his cheek. "You're going to the doctor,...NOW." Curry reached down and jerked Heyes up and down the street.

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' eyes flew open and he got up to get dressed. "Something I have to do huh? Well alright then."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Heyes determinedly pulled on his clothes and boots. He was putting his hat on his head when Kid came in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes didn't say a word as he walked past Curry and out the door. Kid was completely caught off guard at this unusual behavior. He sat the things he was carrying on the table and hurried to catch up to his partner. He caught him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Joshua, will you stop? What are you doing?"

"An experiment."

Heyes left the hotel and stood on the boardwalk. He watched the sheriff leave his office and lock the door.

"What are you talkin' about?" Kid asked coming out behind him.

"You stay here and take that delivery job. I got something to do." Heyes stepped off the boardwalk and walked down the street. Kid was confused over how Heyes knew about the delivery job. He turned and watched his partner walk toward the bank. He noticed that as Heyes walked up to the bank door, he drew his revolver.

Kid's eyes widened as the significance of what he just saw set in. "He wouldn't..." Curry took off at a run. He entered the bank and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Heyes was holding up the bank. Thankfully, there was nobody in there except the workers and the owner, Newman Reynolds. "Joshua! What are you doin'?!"

Heyes never took his eyes off the tellers or lowered his gun. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm robbing the bank."

'He's went crazy,' Kid thought. "I can see that?! WHY?!"

"Hadn't tried it yet," Heyes said. "Now you, Reynolds, open that safe and nobody gets hurt."

"No," Reynolds said defiantly.

"I would do it if I were you. Otherwise, I'm going to have to get my partner, Kid Curry there, to show you how good he is with a gun."

Kid's eyes widened for the second time that morning. He tried to grab Heyes by the arm, but his partner stood rigid. "Have you lost you're mind?!" Kid whispered.

"No. Now draw your gun and hold it on these people."

"In case you've forgotten, our horses are in the livery stable. How do you plan on gettin' away?"

"I ain't worried about it. The sheriff left and went somewhere."

Kid rolled his eyes. "You know, you could've let me know you'd decided we'd go back to outlawin'." He had to back his cousin, no matter how insane he was at the moment. If they made it out of this, he could get him help. He pulled out his Colt and leveled it at the the banker. "You heard him. Open that safe."

Reynolds looked less defiant than he had previously as he took in the sight of Kid Curry's gun pointed his way. He set to work opening the safe.

"We're not going back to outlawing," Heyes said quietly.

"Well, you coulda fooled me. You know the amnesty's gone after this," Curry whispered.

"It don't matter none. Tomorrow, things will go back to the way they were."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just fed up." Heyes smiled as he heard the safe open. "What a beautiful sound. Now, you, Reynolds, find something to put that money in."

Reynolds reluctantly grabbed a bag that had been in the safe and started filling it with money. "You'll never get away with this."

"Yeah, we will," Heyes said. He reached forward and took the bag from the disgruntled banker when it was full. "I happen to know that the sheriff isn't in his office right now. And nobody is going to come in the bank for at least thirty minutes. Believe me, I know. Now, give me the keys to your office Reynolds."

Reynolds started to argue, but one look at Curry convinced him to follow orders. He handed over the keys.

"Now, everybody in Reynolds' office. I happen to know there's no window in there so you won't be getting out until someone comes for you," Heyes ordered, motioning with his gun.

Reynolds and the clerks walked dejectedly into the office. Heyes shut the door and locked it, then took the keys and locked them in the safe. He reholstered his pistol. "Okay Kid, let's go." And he hurried to the door. Kid followed.

"Heyes, you're seein' a doctor when this is over."

"Whatever," he answered as he turned the sign in the window from 'open' to 'closed'. Heyes opened the door and looked out. Nobody was paying any attention to the bank. He slipped out with Kid behind him and they hurried to the livery stable.

Once inside, they saddled up their horses and left at a fast trot. Heyes tipped his hat and smiled at the livery man as they left. The man just shook his head and sighed.

oooooasjooooo

Once outside of town, they sped up into a gallop. They rode hard for about an hour before they slowed down. Heyes inspected a small gap between two boulders. It opened up behind the rocks into a small clearing and the entrance was concealed by a couple of trees. Heyes had almost overlooked it. "Let's go in there. We should be well hidden from anyone passing by."

Curry agreed and they dismounted to lead their horses through the gap. It was just barely wide enough to let them pass. When they got inside, Kid turned to Heyes. "Now, I want you to explain to me what's wrong with you. And don't tell me nothin' because I know better."

Heyes tied his reins loosely in a bush. "Kid, I can't explain it to you. You'd just think I was crazy."

"I ALREADY think that!"

Heyes frowned at him. "I just thought I'd do something different for a change. Don't worry. Things will be fine tomorrow. You'll never even remember doing this."

"That's what I'm talkin' about Heyes. You've said that twice now. Things will NOT go back to the way they were tomorrow. How could they?!"

Heyes sighed and flopped down on the ground. He looked up at his cousin. "Because this stupid dang day is repeating. Every morning, I get woke up by a rooster getting shot, just like this morning. I haven't been able to figure out a way to stop it. And I'm pretty sure robbing a bank won't stop it. I just needed to blow off some steam. Get some adrenalin pumping. I know you think I'm insane. You have everytime I've told you, except for once. So no matter what goes on today, it'll just start over again sometime in the morning."

Kid noticed how disheartened Heyes looked. He thought a minute before answering. "Heyes, I don't know what to say to that. You can't expect me to believe that."

"No, I don't." Heyes was quiet for a few minutes. Finally, he said, "We're going back to town and return the money."

Kid couldn't believe what he was hearing. "WHAT?!"

"We're going to take the money back." Heyes got up and retrieved his horse.

"We'll be arrested, who knows, maybe shot if we go back there!"

"We won't be shot. The sheriff's not that type of lawman."

"How do you know?!"

"Because I've come to know him pretty good over the last six or seven days. Now, let's go. Maybe turning ourselves in is the only way the loop will stop."

Curry ran to block his partner's exit. "Heyes, you're not thinking straight. Us going back there means twenty years in prison. You can't be serious."

"You're right," Heyes said calmly. "It does. So I want you to go the other direction. I'll go back to town alone and turn myself in. The loop's just affecting me. No use in you getting locked up too."

"NO," Kid yelled. "You're not going either."

"Yes I am. Now get out of the way."

"You're not gettin' past me."

"Kid, it could be the only way to break this repeating business. NOW MOVE."

"NO!"

"Alright." Heyes threw a punch and hit Kid square in the jaw. Curry staggered to the side, enough for Heyes to hurry through the gap. Once through, he jumped on his horse and took off.

Kid regained his balance. "Dang it! Heyes!" Curry pulled his horse through the gap and galloped off in pursuit of his insane partner.

Heyes looked around and saw he was being chased. He urged his mare faster with a slap of the reins. He had a good lead on his cousin. He'd never catch him.

"HEYES, STOP!" Curry yelled.

But Heyes couldn't hear him. He was intent on outrunning Curry. He rounded a bend and saw a group of horses coming towards him.

At the front of the group of horses, Sheriff Murray saw two riders coming towards him at a great rate of speed. It wasn't a minute later, one rider thundered past the posse, closely followed by another, headed back towards town. "That can't be those bank robbers," Murray said. But sure enough, the descriptions fit from what he could see. He threw his arm up and motioned for the posse members to turn around. 'What in the world kind of robbers were these? I've never seen the like,' Murray thought.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes pulled up in front of the sheriff's office. Curry got there less than a minute later. "Heyes, c'mon. Don't do this."

"I told you to go the other direction!" Heyes yelled angrily.

"I can't leave you alone with you out of your mind like this!" Curry yelled back.

About that time, the posse reached them. Heyes raised his hands in the air. "Sheriff, I'm here to turn myself in. This man here had nothing to do with it."

Murray had his gun aimed at Heyes. "That's not what Reynolds said. Boys, get their guns." Two revolvers were confiscated. "Now get off your horses nice and slow." The two complied.

"I told you to leave!" Heyes whispered. Curry rolled his eyes as they were escorted inside and into a cell.

Murray walked up to them as the door clanged shut. "Anything to say boys?"

"Yessir," Heyes said. "My name is Hannibal Heyes. This other guy's name is Marvin. I made him help me in the robbery."

Murray's eyes widened slightly. "Hannibal Heyes, you say. And...Marvin. Well, we'll see about that." He walked back out to his desk.

Curry flopped down on one of the bunks. "Why'd you do it?" he asked quietly.

Heyes sat down opposite of him. "I told you. It may be what I had to do to stop the loop. If it does break it, we'll just have to break out of jail, maybe head to Mexico. And if it doesn't, well, we'll just wake up in the hotel in the morning."

"You really have lost your mind, haven't you? And...Marvin? You really think anyone's gonna believe that?"

Heyes just turned and lay down. For once, he had nothing else to say.

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' eyes flew open and he stared at the ceiling. "Well, that didn't work."


	9. Chapter 9

(A/N - I want to apologize to my readers for the long delay in updating this story. I've had writer's block for a few months. But I hope to finish this up soon. Thanks for staying with the story.)

Oooooasjooooo

Hannibal Heyes was glad his latest escapade hadn't worked. He didn't fancy the idea of spending twenty years locked up in prison. He thought seriously about just staying in bed the rest of the day, but if he did, he'd be bored out of his mind. He raised up and sat on the edge of the bed. His head was in his hands when the Kid walked in.

"Mornin' Heyes."

"That rooster has to die."

Curry furrowed his brow. "What rooster?"

"The one that woke me up this morning," Heyes mumbled through his hands.

"Heyes,...that rooster has already died," Kid said slowly.

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"But you just said..."

"I KNOW what I just said." Heyes stood up and looked out the window. "But he'll be back and he has to die. And I have to kill him."

Curry shook his head. "You're not makin' a lick of sense."

"I tried it once and fell asleep. Well, I won't this time. How good do you think you are at tracking chickens?"

Kid sat the coffee, sandwich, and newspaper on the table. "I'm not spendin' the day trackin' a chicken. What am I sayin'? IT'S ALREADY DEAD!"

Heyes just stood there. "Tonight, I'm going to find that rooster when this day resets and shoot him." He thought for a moment. "Of course, seems to be that everytime the day resets, I wake up in bed no matter where I was the night before, so shooting the rooster may not be possible."

Curry walked over to him and felt his forehead. "You don't feel hot."

Heyes swatted the hand away. "I'm not going through that again. Now, leave me alone and go on that delivery job."

"I can't leave you alone talkin' like that. It's untellin' what you might do. I'd hate to read in the paper that Hannibal Heyes got arrested for shootin' someone's chickens." A moment passed. "How did you know about that job?"

"I just did. Now, go on."

Kid stood staring at his partner.

"Well,...go on. I got a job to do myself. Fixing a barn, I believe it was."

"How did you...?"

Heyes didn't answer. He just turned and picked the coffee up from the table.

Curry continued to stare at his back. Finally, he shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Well then, I'll see you tonight." He turned and walked to the door, casting a glance at his cousin before he went through.

When the door was shut, Heyes sunk down in one of the chairs. He had no intention on fixing a barn. Deep in thought, he ate the sandwich the Kid had brought him. Since shooting the offending rooster wasn't possible, it couldn't be the way to stop the day repeating. What the heck could it be? It was driving him crazy without a doubt. He finished his breakfast and buckled on his gun belt. Putting his hat on his head, he left the room and walked out of the hotel. He started wandering aimlessly down the street, being careful not to let old man Turner or the bounty hunter that would be stopping in at the cafe see him.

He turned down another street and found the telegraph office. He stopped as a thought struck him. Maybe he was here to find out something. He walked into the office.

"Good morning sir. Can I help you?," the telegraph operator asked.

"Yeah, I need to send a message." Heyes was handed a clipboard and he wrote down his message.

'To Lom Trevors, Porterville, Wyoming. Any news from mutual friend? Joshua Smith.'

The operator counted the words. "That'll be five cents."

Heyes paid the man. "I'll check back later for a reply." He left the office and continued down the street.

A few minutes of walking and he found himself on the edge of town. A stream trickled by. He stared at it a minute. "What the heck." He turned and walked back into town and went to the general store. He came back out a couple minutes later with a gold pan.

OOOOOASJOOOOO

Heyes had been panning for gold all afternoon. He'd rode up into the hills right outside town. He knew gold had been found in the mountain range Destiny Loop was located in. How nice would it be that the thing to break the loop would be finding gold? He didn't figure he'd find anything so close to town, but at least it was a way to kill some time. Besides, it never hurt to look. But he hadn't found anything except one tiny piece. He put it in his pocket and sat down to take a break. Untying his bandana from around his neck, he dipped it into the water and wiped his face off. He sat staring into space, his arms resting on his legs. 'I still think that the solution has to do with that clarity and inner peace statement', Heyes thought. He sat staring and thinking for about fifteen minutes. Sighing, he stood up and dusted off his pants and tied his bandana back around his neck.

Getting restless, a thought struck him. He could spend the rest of the afternoon practicing his quick draw. Kid was always telling him he needed to practice at least every now and then. He went to collect some pine cones, then found a nice, almost level, log to set them up on. He then walked a good distance away and squared up to the targets. Quickly, he drew his Schofield and pulled off six shots. Four of the pine cones went flying. Maybe Kid was right, he should practice more. He sat up a new set of targets and reloaded his weapon. Once again, six shots were fired. This time, he managed to hit five out of six. He realized that he was starting to relax a little bit. He spent the rest of the afternoon setting up pine cones and shooting them down as fast as he could. Maybe he could do this every afternoon since he didn't yet see any way to break the wretched loop.

It was getting close to evening, so he retrieved his horse and rode back to town. He was physically and mentally tired, so he decided to go get some food from the cafe and just go back to the hotel room to eat. Checking his pocketwatch, he knew the bounty hunter had already stopped for his coffee and was gone.

A man was just starting to light the street lamps when he entered town. Heyes took his horse to the livery and got her settled. As he brushed her, he remembered he needed to check the telegraph office for a reply from Lom. He quickly finished up and headed for the office. The telegrapher was getting ready to close down for the night when he walked in. "Hi. Any messages for Joshua Smith?"

"Yeah, I think one came earlier. Let me get it." The telegrapher looked through a small stack of messages. "Ah, here it is." He handed it over to the ex-outlaw.

Heyes read it to himself. 'To Joshua Smith, Destiny Loop. No answer yet. Sorry. Sheriff Lom Trevors.' He wadded up the paper in his hand and dropped it in a waste basket. Apparently, getting amnesty wasn't going to happen today.

"Any reply? I'm getting ready to close down for the night," the telegrapher asked a little impatiently.

Heyes looked up. "No. No reply. Thanks." He walked out of the office and down to the cafe. After waiting for a few minutes, he received some dinner and left to return to the hotel.

Oooooasjoooooo

Not long afterward, Kid Curry returned from his delivery job. He went into the saloon expecting to see his partner, but he wasn't there. Maybe Heyes just wasn't back yet. So he just had a beer then went to get something to eat.

An hour later, he walked into a dimly lit hotel room to find his cousin sitting, just staring out the window. "Heyes? What are you doin'?"

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"This day."

"You ain't still going on like you were this mornin' are you? 'Cause frankly, you was talkin' all crazy, goin' on about shootin' chickens and repeating days."

Heyes continued to stare out the window. "I'm not arguing about that anymore. You've only believed me once anyway."

"Believed you about what?"

"That this stupid, wretched, dang day is repeating," Heyes sighed aggravated.

Kid watched him closely. "So, I take that as a yes, you're still talking crazy."

"I am NOT talking crazy. What's going on around here, THAT'S what' crazy. And I can't figure it out."

"Figure WHAT out?"

"How to get out of here!"

"That's easy Heyes. We just get on our horses and ride out."

Heyes was quiet for a couple of moments. Then he stood up. "Alright then. Let's go."

"Right NOW?!" Kid couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes. Right now. Grab your stuff. We're leaving." Heyes stood up and started packing his saddlebags. He had tried to spend the night outside of town once, but that bounty hunter had put a stop to that. Maybe this was the answer.

Kid just watched his partner. "We just got here last night. Why in the world do you want to go sleep on the ground again when we've got nice warm beds right here?"

Heyes kept working. "I saw someone earlier who could recognize me. We need to go."

Curry narrowed his eyes with his hands on his hips. "Heyes, if that had happened, you wouldn't have been sittin' here starin' out the window."

Heyes glanced up quickly, then returned his eyes to his activity. "You hadn't come back yet and I couldn't leave without you now could I? I was watching the window to make sure that guy wasn't going in the sheriff's office or in here. But you're here now, so let's get going." Heyes finished his packing and looked at his cousin.

Kid blew out his breath, rolled his eyes, and started gathering his things. There just wasn't any understanding his partner sometimes. Within a few minutes, he was ready to go as well.

They quietly left the room and checked out. The livery doors were locked, but Heyes soon remedied that. Just as they had so many times before, they saddled up quickly and rode out as quietly as possible. Once outside the town, Heyes pushed his mare into a gallop. Kid followed close behind.

Thirty minutes of riding, and they found a nice secluded spot surrounded by trees and boulders. Heyes pulled up and dismounted. "This'll do nicely." He got busy hobbling his horse and laying out his bedroll. Kid did the same, then started to make a fire. Heyes was quiet as he worked. Kid looked at him with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Heyes, you've just not been yourself today. Now, what's really eatin' at you?"

Heyes sat down, leaned up against his saddle next to the now lit fire. "I've already told you," he said quietly.

"You mean the repeating day business? Look, I find that really hard to believe. What would think if I got up one mornin' and started telling you that story? You'd think I was nuts."

Heyes stared into the dancing orange flames. "Well, hopefully, this'll be the last time you hear of it. I ain't going to hear any rooster crow out here."

Kid stared at his cousin. He didn't know what else to say. He just decided if Heyes was still like this in the morning, he was taking him to a doctor. Something was definitely wrong with him. "Well, I'm worn out from today. Think I'll lay down." He spread out his own bedroll and sat down on it. "Unless you want me to take first watch."

"No. I'll probably be up a while. Go to sleep."

"Well, alright." Kid lay down and got as comfortable as he could sleeping outside. It wasn't too long before his breathing evened out and a soft snore sounded from his lips.

Heyes kept staring into the crackling fire. "If this doesn't work..."


	10. Chapter 10

_"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' brown eyes popped open. He quickly raised up and looked around. Yep, he was back in the hotel room. He picked his pillow up, pushed it onto his face, and yelled. Then he dropped it to his lap and started punching it. After he was done with the assault on the unfortunate feather filled pillow, he threw it across the room. The Kid unlocked the door and walked in right as it hit the wall.

"Mornin' Heyes. Care to tell me what that poor pillow did to you?"

Heyes glared at him as he ran his hand through his ruffled hair.

"Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake..."

"Me so you just brought me something back," Heyes finished aggravated.

Kid, walking across the room at the time, stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his cousin. "How did..."

"Because we've had this same converSATION A HUNDRED TIMES NOW!" Heyes was practically yelling by the time he was finished. He stood up and walked to the window. "I'M SO SICK of this hotel room and this dang, wretched town, I'd about ride out to the territorial prison and let them throw me in it."

Curry just stood and watched his raving partner. Softly, he replied, "Heyes...we just got here last night."

Heyes spun around like he was going to attack him and pointed his finger. "NO WE DIDN'T! I'VE LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY DAYS WE'VE BEEN HERE NOW."

Kid sat the coffee, sandwich, and newspaper on top of the dresser, never taking his eyes off his animated cousin. "Caaalm down Heyes," he said slowly.

"I will NOT CALM DOWN!" He started pacing agitately. "There has to be some logical answer to this. It's right in front of me, I know it is."

Kid was beginning to get aggravated himself. Heyes wasn't making any sense at all. He put his hands on his hips. "Answer to WHAT?!"

Heyes walked over and grabbed the lapels of Kid's sheepskin jacket. "How to END THIS STUPID DAY!"

Curry took hold of his partner's wrists and jerked his hands off his jacket. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN' ABOUT?!"

Heyes stood staring at Curry. He sighed loudly and his shoulders drooped slightly. "Nothing. Nevermind." He walked over dejectedly and started getting dressed.

"Oh no you don't Heyes! You ain't gettin' out of it that easy. Now what were you goin' on about 'cause you sounded plumb crazy."

Heyes didn't stop dressing. "Just let me finish here and I'll show you something."

Kid rubbed a hand over his face. "You're weird sometimes, do you know that?"

Heyes didn't reply. He pulled on his boots and buckled on his gun belt. "Follow me." He pushed past his partner and went out the door. Kid sighed and followed after him.

Heyes went through the hotel door and sat down in one of the chairs on the hotel's porch. Curry appeared a second later. "Alright Hey...Joshua, what is it you want me to see?"

"Sit down," Heyes said.

Kid furrowed his brow and sat down next to his cousin. "Now what?"

"Just listen. I'm going to tell you things that are about to happen."

"Joshua..."

"A breeze is going to blow." Momentarily, the wind blew slightly. "A dog is going to

bark." Shortly, Kid heard a bark somewhere down the street. "A lady's going to come out of the mercantile and drop a small box." The lady came out and dropped said box.

Kid's eyes opened wide and looked over at his partner. "How are you doing that?"

Heyes stared straight ahead. "I told you. We've been here I don't know how many days now. At some point every morning, this day resets itself and I wake up to that rooster crowing and getting shot. And it just affects me for some reason. Tomorrow morning, you won't remember anything about what happens today."

Curry was quiet. He didn't know what to say to that. It was an impossible story, but his cousin was telling him things right before they happened. What if his story was true? "But how is that possible?"

"I don't know. I just know it's happening."

"When will it stop?"

"I have no idea. That's what I can't figure out. Apparently, from what I've learned so far, I have to do, or say, or NOT do, or stop, something specific. So far, I've been killed, arrested, chased by a bounty hunter, broke my leg, saved a little girl from getting hurt, talked to Indians, robbed the bank, turned myself in, left town overnight, panned for gold, telegraphed Lom,...and no matter what, I always wake up in our hotel room to that rooster. Then you come in bringing me breakfast and saying you found two jobs in the paper, a delivery, and a barn repair."

Kid rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what to say Joshua." They sat in silence for a moment. "Do you have any ideas to try for today?"

Heyes shook his head no. "I'm still thinking. On one of those days, I got you to believe me and you said to maybe try something creative."

"Well from what you've told me, you've tried a little bit of everything."

Heyes sat deep in thought as he watched the town go about its business. "I know one thing I haven't tried."

"What's that?"

Heyes face turned into a mischivous grin. "How far away are we from Cheyenne?"

oooooasjoooooo

The two ex-outlaws had been riding close to an hour. Heyes wasn't saying much. He was too deep in thought. Curry, on the other hand, had started to announce his complaints.

"Heyes, this is one of the worst ideas you've ever had. It's a five hour ride to Cheyenne. We'll never get there and back to the hotel in one day. IF we get back there at all. I have a bad feelin' we'll be on our way to Laramie before tonight to sleep in a prison cell." Kid stared at his partner as they rode at a lope.

Heyes kept looking straight ahead. "Well, this is the way I see it. If I'm wrong, and this isn't the thing that will break the loop, then no matter what happens to us today, we'll wake up back in Destiny Loop tomorrow. If this DOES break the loop, then it's what I was supposed to do. It'll work out okay and we'll be fine because I've already tried turning myself in."

"But what if just turnin' yourself in to some small town sheriff didn't work, but gettin' arrested and thrown in PRISON does?"

"I say it's the same thing, Kid. In either of those scenarios, I end up behind bars in a jail, which has already happened, and didn't do anything. We wouldn't go straight to prison even if we are recognized and arrested in Cheyenne. We'd stay in jail for the trial first and being in jail didn't break the loop."

"But you said you turned YOURSELF in. What if we're both supposed to be locked up?"

"We both WERE locked up. You were with me when I did that."

"I LET you turn yourself in?! I would never do that."

"You didn't exactly let me do it. You were arguing with me the whole time, right up until the sheriff showed up and I told him who I was. I said that you were just some random man named Marvin but he locked you up anyway."

"MARVIN? Where in the world do you come up with these names?"

"I saw that one in the newspaper somewhere."

"Well, anyway, back to this dumb idea of yours. We can't just go barge in on the governor of Wyomin' and make him sign amnesty papers without at least gettin' shot at. We won't even get in there near him with any guns. You know we'll be searched if we DO happen to make it in the buildin'." Curry was adament with his protests.

"I've already been thinking about that. Everytime we've been searched before, they didn't pay much attention to our boots. All we do is get a deringer and hide it there. I've got one in my saddlebag. I'd rather have two, but since we've got about three dollars between us, one will have to do. You'll be the one handling it of course."

Kid sighed loudly. "I still say we're either goin' to end up shot or in prison."

Heyes grinned at his cousin. "At this point, I'm willing to try it. We'll go in peacefully as Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones, but we'll come out holding amnesty papers proclaiming Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry free men. And we'll make sure there are no loop holes in the documents that the governor could use to say the papers aren't legal. It'll be fine."

"It'll be fine he says..., Heyes, just for the record, I don't agree with this plan of yours."

Heyes looked back to the land spreaded out before him. "I know, Kid." He slapped his reins on his horse's hind quarters and took off at a gallop. The doubting gunslinger followed along behind him.

oooooasjooooo

The two ex-outlaws stopped at a secluded spot just outside Cheyenne to change into their brown and gray suits. They smoothed out the wrinkles as best they could and washed the trail dust off their faces in the small stream nearby. Curry carefully concealed the small deringer in his boot and made sure it wasn't visible in any way. Satisfied that they were looking the best they could under the circumstances, they mounted up and rode on into the city.

As they entered into civilization, they stuck to the back streets so they'd draw as little attention as possible. After a little while, they found the government building that employed the man that could change their lives, be it for better or for worse. Dismounting, they tied their horses to the hitching rail. Heyes pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, Thaddeus, here goes nothing."

Kid looked skyward and shook his head. Then he lowered his eyes to look at his cousin. Heyes gave him a look that said 'trust me', and started toward the building's steps. Curry followed close behind.

"Can I help you?" a lady asked from behind a desk in the main lobby. She wasn't very successful in hiding the fact that she was scrutinizing the two handsome men standing before her. Heyes gave her the full dimpled smile. "I certainly hope so ma'am. We're here to see the governor. It's very important."

"Do you have an appointment?"

Heyes held his smile. "Ah, no ma'am. But we're very close friends of a friend of Governor Hale. We have some ongoing business with him and it's extremely urgent we see him today since we have to leave town tonight to return to Porterville."

The lady couldn't help but smile back at the handsome dark-haired man. "Let me see what I can do. Can I have your names please?"

"I'm Joshua Smith and this is Thaddeus Jones."

She nodded, got up, and walked up some stairs to the third floor.

"I still think this is a bad idea Joshua," Kid whispered.

"Your opinion has been noted. If we end up in jail, feel free to say 'I told you so'. But I still think it's a good idea to try this. I don't want to spend the rest of my life reliving the same day over and over again in Destiny Loop."

"And I don't want to spend the rest of my life lookin' through prison bars!"

"You won't have to."

"You don't know that!" Kid's whisper was a little louder than he meant it to be. A couple of people walking in the lobby turned to look their way.

Heyes shushed him. "Quiet down. Your voice will echo in this room."

They stood silently for a few minutes, then looked up as footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. They both smiled as the lady returned to her desk.

"It wasn't easy, but I convinced Governor Hale's secretary to let you in to see him. You're lucky that one of his appointments canceled today. Otherwise, I don't think you'd have gotten in. You can go up as soon as you hand in your gun belts and are searched." She waved over a security guard. "Sorry, but it's procedure."

"We understand," Heyes said as they both started unbuckling their gun belts. "Have to make sure the governor is safe." They handed over their hardware as the security guard arrived to frisk them.

"Put your hands on the desktop please," the guard commanded. The two ex-outlaws complied. Heyes was searched first. As he was patted down, his gaze slid sideways and he could tell Kid was scowling out of the corner of his eyes. A smile played about his lips. "Alright, you're good." The guard moved over to Curry as Heyes moved. Kid unknowingly held his breath as he was searched. Just as his partner had predicted, his boots weren't checked very well. Curry exhaled slowly as the guard straightened up and said, "They're both good to go." He walked back over to stand at his post near the stairs.

The lady smiled at them. "Okay gentlemen, you can go up now. Governor Hale's office is on the third floor, fourth door down. Stop by here to get your guns on your way out."

"Thank you ma'am," Heyes smiled as they started toward the stairs. Halfway up the second flight of stairs, Heyes stopped and checked out the surroundings. Satisfied they were alone, he whispered to Kid, "Now, take that gun out of your boot and put it in your belt behind your back." Curry did so and pulled his coat down over top of it. "Ready?"

Kid sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with."

oooooasjooooo

"I take it you're Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones," an unfriendly, mousy looking man replied as they entered the governor's outer office.

"Yessir, that's correct," Heyes said stopping at the desk. "I'm Joshua Smith and this is Thaddeus Jones."

"Wait here," the man said and then disappeared through the door into the large back office. It was only a minute or so before he reopened the door and motioned for them to enter. Before he left, he made introductions. "Governor Hale, this is Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones to see you." He shut the door behind them.

"Hello gentlemen. I have an hour until my next appointment. Come and sit down," Hale said as he straightened some papers and pushed them to the side of his desk. "I understand you have some urgent business with me. I have to admit though, I don't know how that could be as I've never seen you before today. You said you knew a friend of mine?"

Heyes sat down as Kid remained standing. Heyes looked the governor straight in the eye. "Yessir, that's right. That friend would be Sheriff Lom Trevors of Porterville. I'm sure you remember him."

Hale studied Heyes, then Kid. Looking back to the ex-outlaw leader, he stared at him intently. After a few tense seconds, he replied, "Yes, I remember Trevors. He communicates with me monthly. How exactly do you know him?"

"He's a friend of ours from way back." Heyes stared back at Hale, noticing the man was starting to show subtle signs of nervousness.

"You don't say. And exactly what is the nature of your business with me?"

At this question, Heyes straightened in his chair. His look became all business as he said one word, "Amnesty."

The governor visibly tensed. His eyes quickly turned to Curry standing beside Heyes' chair, but near the desk. Curry's blue gaze was icy as he stood with his hands resting on his hips. Hale licked his lips and turned back to look at Heyes. He cleared his throat. "Your name isn't Smith, is it?"

Heyes grinned deviously at Hale. "No, it isn't."

Hale's hand started to slip under his desk, but stopped as he saw a gun appear in Kid's hand. "How about you keep your hands on the desk where we can see 'em."

The governor's hand returned to the desktop as Heyes got up and walked around the desk to Hale's chair. He bent down and peered under the desk and found a deringer in a holster attached to the underside. He removed it, checked the desk drawers, walked to the door, and locked it. Then he went back to face the nervous governor.

Hale glared at Heyes. "You do know that one yell from me and this office will be crawling with lawmen."

"Yeah, but somehow I don't think you'll do that with Kid Curry pointing a gun at you."

Heyes sat back down and pointed his newly acquired weapon at the big man.

"So I assumed correctly. You are Hannibal Heyes."

"Yessir, that's right. Now, over two years ago, you told Sheriff Trevors that if me and my partner stayed out of trouble for twelve months, we'd receive amnesty and be free men. Over TWO years! We have stayed true to our word and haven't been involved in ANYTHING illegal since the day we first brought this request to Lom. I'd say we've earned that amnesty twice over. Now, we're going to sit here and write out these amnesty papers, without any loopholes letting you go back on your word and declare them as unlegal documents. We don't have to have a big ceremony announcing it, as long as it makes it to all the papers and sheriff offices that we are no longer wanted."

Hale furrowed his brows. "You expect me to give you two amnesty while sitting here at gunpoint? Are you or Curry here going to shoot me if I don't do it? You'd never make it out of this building alive."

Heyes' hard stare never wavered. "No sir. We aren't going to shoot you here. I don't hold with killing folks. You know for a fact the Devil's Hole Gang never killed anybody. But, if you don't do it, you're going to leave here with us and you'll do it quietly. My partner here can always make an exception to the no-killing rule and I just can't control him." He let the threat sink into the governor's brain.

Sweat had broken out on Hale's forehead. "Alright," he said after a seemingly neverending moment. His voice slightly quivered as he answered. "I suppose you have earned that amnesty after all. You're right. I did, after all, say one year. Let me just get some papers from my desk drawer." He looked once more at the steady gun in Kid Curry's hand before opening the desk drawer. Pulling out the appropriate stationary and an ink well, he put them on the desktop.

Heyes smiled at him. "Glad to see you've come to your senses about honoring your word. Now, let's get down to business. When we've finished, your secretary out there can come in and sign as a witness."

Governor Hale sighed loudly as he glared at the most notorious outlaws the west had ever seen. Reluctantly, he dipped his pen in the ink and started to write.

oooooasjooooo

It was night when the now free ex-outlaws rode out of Cheyenne.

"I can't believe that worked! Why hadn't we ever thought of this before?" Kid had a huge smile on his face as he rode.

Heyes was studying the amnesty paper that had given him freedom by the light of the full moon. "Well, I really wasn't sure it would work. It was a big chance and the odds weren't exactly in our favor. But if this doesn't stop the day repeating, we might just try it again when, and if, the loop ever does get broken." He carefully folded the paper and inserted it back into its envelope before packing it safely away in his saddlebag. "It feels pretty good not being wanted."

"What all did you get the governor to write on those papers so he couldn't have us arrested the minute we left?"

"I had him write that at 5:00 pm on today's date, we were officially granted amnesty for all the crimes we had committed, were no longer wanted, and that the decision couldn't be overturned by anyone, including the governor himself. Of course, there were some more legal stuff put in there to make it sound better than that, but that's what it all meant when you got right down to it."

"But it was just after three when we were in his office. Why did you have him write 5 pm?"

"Did you notice what time we actually left his office?"

"No."

"It was exactly 5 pm."

"So that's why you asked for his pocketwatch and kept watching the time."

"Yep. When it was exactly thirty seconds before 5, I had you put your gun away and I laid the governor's deringer on the table across the room. Since the amnesty papers have 5 pm written on them, he couldn't get us for holding him at gunpoint because when it hit 5, we were officially forgiven for EVERYTHING we'd ever done, including holding up the governor."

"Heyes, you may just be the genius you think you are!"

"I just might be. Now, I just hope this breaks the loop."

"Me too partner."

"It's starting to get a little late. Want to find a place to camp for the night?" Heyes asked looking around for a suitable spot.

"Sounds good. We can ride on into Destiny Loop tomorrow and get our things from the hotel."

Heyes sharply looked at his cousin. "NO! If this has broken the loop, there's NO WAY I'm ever getting near that town again. We brought the important stuff with us. Whatever was left, the hotel can have."

Kid just nodded his agreement. They rode in silence for a few minutes, then Kid pointed over to a patch of pine trees. "How about over there? The trees would hide us from the road if we go back in them far enough."

"Sounds good." They turned their horses into the trees and found a good place to settle down. They could see the road, but it would be hard for anyone traveling the trail to see them.

They hurriedly set up camp, took care of the horses, and ate some jerky for dinner. Kid reached for a third piece. "Ain't much of a supper, but it's worth it to be free men now."

Heyes took a drink from his canteen then handed it over to Curry. "Well, hopefully tomorrow, we won't wake up in Destiny Loop and we can find a new town to have a nice dinner in,...after I play some poker and get us some more money."

"I'll drink to that!" Curry held up the canteen, then took a drink.

Heyes got up to fix his bedroll. "I'll drink to it when I wake up to a new day that doesn't start with a rooster getting shot..."


	11. Chapter 11

_"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes' brows furrowed as he opened his eyes. Both his fists came down hard on the bed. "NOOO! NO, NO, NO!" He threw the quilt off of himself so hard, it ended up in a heap on the floor. Jumping up, he threw his arms in the air. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he yelled to the empty room. He angrily crossed to the window and looked out. "WELL?...WHAT IS IT?!"

Having heard the ongoing tirade as he neared the door, Kid cautiously unlocked it and looked in. "Heyes, who are you yellin' at?" he asked slowly.

Heyes furiously turned himself around to face the door. He looked fit to be tied. Curry walked in the room and shut the door. He set down the coffee, sandwich, and paper he was carrying on the dresser, all the time watching his obviously upset partner. He attempted once again to make contact.

"Mornin' Heyes. What's with all the yellin'?"

Heyes ran both hands through his hair. "NOTHING...I DON'T KNOW...WHY...?!" His hands dropped to his hips as he sighed. "Nevermind. Just...a nightmare that REFUSES to end."

Kid studied him for a minute, not quite sure how to reply to that. "Well, you probably woke up half the hotel. I could hear you yellin' all the way down the hall."

Heyes turned back to face the window. Curry waited for a response. When he didn't receive one, he tried talking to his cousin again. "I, uh, didn't want to wake you so I brought you back somethin' to eat." Still no response. "Heyes? What's wrong?" He was starting to get a bit worried.

"Nothing Kid. Like I said, it's...it was just a nightmare." He went back to his bed and sat down on the edge.

Curry wasn't sure about that, but whatever it was, Heyes obviously didn't want to discuss it. He knew when his partner got like this, it was better to just leave him alone until he was ready to talk. He cleared his throat. "I found a couple of jobs in the paper. One's fixin' a barn's roof and the other is deliverin' some papers."

"Well, you better take the delivery job."

Kid was surprised. Heyes never volunteered for the harder job. "Alright Heyes, what's eatin' at you? You always manage to get the easier job, but now you're just gonna give it to me?"

"I said it was nothing. Now, go on that delivery job. If I go, I'll just probably end up getting shot again."

Now Kid was really confused. "Shot again? I don't remember you bein' shot recently." The gunslinger decided to ask one more time, regardless of Heyes' mood. "What's goin' on with you?"

Heyes looked up at him. "Nothing." He forced a smile onto his face. "Now, you better get going before someone else takes that job."

Kid frowned. Heyes was obviously lying to him, but if he didn't want to talk, there was no way to force it out of him. He'd tried many times before and it had just ended up in a fight. This time, Curry decided he'd just try to be patient, no matter how hard it was. "Okay then. You goin' out to the barn job?"

"Uh, yeah," Heyes answered absently. "After I eat. We need the money." He got up and started getting dressed.

Kid watched him for a second. "Well, see you this evenin'."

"Alright."

Curry stared at him another second or two, then walked to the door and left.

Heyes finished getting dressed, grabbed the food and coffee, and sat at the table near the window. He quickly finished off the breakfast. Disgust was evident on his face as he peered out the window at the town holding him prisoner in his own personal jail. "What is it you want Destiny Loop?! Maybe I ought to burn your whole town down." Heyes seriously considered that for a few minutes. But someone would surely get hurt, so it was out of the question. Finally, he stood up. "I WILL figure this puzzle out. If it takes me the rest of my life, I WILL figure it out before I die of old age." He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

oooooasjooooo

BANG, BANG...

Another two pine cones flew off the log as Heyes lowered his weapon. He pushed some bullets out of his gun belt to reload. He'd ridden out to the previous place he had practiced to be by himself so maybe he could think of something. His mind was a jumble of things. He went over and over the things he'd tried. He went back over the conversations he'd had with Cat the old Indian. How many days did this make? What else could he try? He set up and shot at pine cones for about an hour and a half. How did Kid do this for hours at a time? He decided to quit and went to sit in the grass beside his grazing horse. Heyes removed his hat and dropped his head into his hands. A gentle breeze rustled his hair. He looked up at the semi-cloudy sky. "What's it going to take, huh?" He was mentally exhausted and just wanted to forget about it for a while. It was then he decided what he was going to do the rest of the day.

oooooasjooooo

Kid Curry returned to town that evening after delivering the documents to the mine. He decided to go into the saloon to get a drink and see if his cousin was in there. He strolled through the bat wing doors and went and leaned on the bar. The bartender walked up to him. "One beer please." Kid laid down money for the drink and turned around to survey the rest of the saloon. He figured Heyes would be involved in a poker game if he was present. But as his eyes searched the poker tables, the ex-outlaw leader couldn't be found. He took a drink and was about to turn back around to the bar when he barely caught a glimpse of a familiar black hat at a table in the main back of the saloon.

As he neared his partner's table, his gait slowed down by what he saw. Heyes' head was facedown on the table. Beside his hand sat a nearly empty whiskey bottle. But what really got Curry wondering was the other items on the table. Apparently, Heyes had taken some salt and the bowl of boiled eggs normally found at some saloon bars and brought it to his table with him. There were the equivalent of three broken egg shells laying here and there. The rest of the eggs however were standing up on their ends all around the salt covered table. Kid stopped and stared at the inert form of his cousin for a moment. "Practicin' your magic tricks back here Joshua?"

Heyes' head shot up unsteadily and bleary brown eyes stared up at his partner. "Hey Kid!" he said a little too loudly.

Curry's eyes widened. "Joshua! Not so loud!" he hissed as he took a seat at the table, upsetting some of the eggs.

Heyes looked at the overturned eggs in utter despair. "What'd you do that for? Don't be knocking over my eggs." He could hardly sit upright in his chair.

Kid sat his beer down and started putting all the eggs back in the bowl.

"I said don't touch my eggs Kid!" he once again said loudly as he reached to get the eggs back out of the bowl.

"Joshua, shut up and quit with the eggs." Kid slapped his hand away from the bowl. "The bartender's probably wonderin' where they went to." He finished gathering up the egg population to the ongoing complaints of his drunk partner. Sitting the egg bowl on an empty table next to them, he turned back to see Heyes' whiskey bottle turned up as the last drop was sipped out. "How long you been in here?"

"I don't know," Heyes said dropping the bottle on the table. "Half the day? Ashk the bartender. He might know."

Curry rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you go to that roof patchin' job?"

"'Cause I already done that twice. Besides, it's jusht gonna be messed back up in the morning. Why bother with it? It won't never get fixed and it's all because of that dang rooshter."

"Joshua, you ain't makin' no sense. I mean, I know you're drunk, but still."

Heyes slapped the table hard causing a few people to turn around and stare. "It won't work Kid!"

Curry slightly smiled at their audience until they went back to their own business. "WHAT won't work?"

"Fixing that roof. Like I shaid, I've done it twice and the rooster shtill woke me up." He reached for what was left of Kid's beer.

"Oh no you don't. You've had plenty enough seems to me." Kid stood up and firmly grabbed his cousin by the arm. "C'mon. It's time to go back to the hotel before you manage to tell everybody in here who we are."

Heyes was pulled to his feet, but almost immediately fell back down. If Curry hadn't been to his side holding him, he would've hit the floor. "I don't care if they know. They'll forget it tomorrow."

"Well, I don't want to spend the next twenty years in prison so shut up and come on." Kid started pulling his unsteady partner toward the doors.

"Stop Kid! Let's just have one more drink. What do you shay? One more, then we'll go back to the hotel." People were starting to take notice of the pair as they were now within hearing distance of some of the other occupied tables.

Kid sighed angrily. "NO. No more for you tonight. You ain't been this drunk in I don't know how long." He kept pulling Heyes toward the exit by the arm.

Heyes dug in his heels, almost stopping Curry completely. "Will you let go of me?! I was the leader of the gang and what I say goes. And I say we have another drink."

Kid was starting to see red by then. He jerked Heyes close to him and whispered, "If you don't shut up and come with me, I'm gonna flatten you and drag you out of here." Keeping a death grip on Heyes' arm, Kid got behind him and started pushing him.

"KID!" At that, everybody looked at them. Curry ignored them, pushed harder and finally had him up to the bar and headed toward the exit. Heyes grabbed hold of the bar. "WAIT A SHECOND!" He immediately turned and smiled at the bartender who had been enjoying the show since it had started in the back. "Hey, your eggs are back there. They stand up real good."

The bartender looked like he wasn't sure how to reply as Curry took hold of both arms and broke Heyes' hold on the bar. "Move it Joshua!" he growled. Heyes was still resisting but Kid managed to finally get him out the bat wing doors and into the street.

"WILL YOU TURN LOOSE OF ME?!" Heyes yelled as he struggled in Curry's grasp.

"WILL YOU ACT LIKE YOU HAVE A LITTLE SENSE AND MOVE?!" Kid yelled back. He turned his reluctant partner toward the hotel. "I pity the lawman who ever has to try to hold on to you."

"ALRIGHT! I'll go with you. Just turn loose."

Kid eyed him suspiciously as he let go of one of Heyes' arms. "There's no way I'm lettin' go of both arms. You can't even walk straight with me helpin' you."

"Are you hungry?" Heyes asked out of nowhere as he was pulled along. "What am I shaying? You're always hungry."

Kid ignored him. He was hungry, but there no way he was taking his cousin into the cafe. After a few exhausting minutes, he got Heyes to the hotel. "Be careful on these steps."

Heyes smirked at him as he took a step up. He got on the first step fine, but tripped on the second one. Curry caught him before he cracked his head on the boardwalk. Once inside, Heyes smiled at the desk clerk as they slowly passed. "Hi."

"Uh, hi," the clerk answered back. He turned his eyes to Curry. "Is he okay?"

"No. But don't worry. He won't be no problem. He's goin' straight to bed."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are. One way or another, you're goin' to bed." Kid started pulling him up the the stairs.

Heyes followed sluggishly. "No I'm not," he said softly.

"I'm not arguing with you like a five-year-old. One of three things is goin' to happen when we get in that room. You're either goin' to voluntarily lay down, pass out, or get knocked out." Curry finally got him up the stairs and to the room. He propped Heyes against the wall as he got the key out to unlock the door. Heyes started to slide down the wall. "I'm about to go turn you in myself." Kid caught him and after a couple of aggravating minutes, got the door open. He practically slung his partner inside. "Now, get your jacket and things off and lay down."

"Yes Ma," Heyes said sarcastically as he started pulling off his brown corduroy jacket. That proved to be more difficult than it should have been. He finally managed to pull the garment off and tried to throw it over a chair. He hit Kid with it instead. As Kid put the jacket down, he watched Heyes start to sway. He went over and put him beside his bed. Heyes looked at his partner. "I see two of you." As soon as he finished the sentence, he started to pass out. Kid pushed him backwards onto his bed.

"Thank God," Kid exhaled in relief.


	12. Chapter 12

_"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."_

_BANG_

_"SQUAAAWWKK..."_

Heyes opened his eyes as the wretched rooster once again kicked the bucket. He lay there a moment thinking about he felt. "Well, at least I don't have a hangover." He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. While wiping the sleepiness from his eyes, it occurred to him that he had never noticed what time it was when he was woke up each morning. He grabbed his pocketwatch off the bedside table. "7:03. I've sat here for a couple of minutes, so the day must reset at 7 am. Wonder if that has any significance to it..."

As he finished talking to himself, Kid Curry opened and walked through the door. "Mornin' Heyes."

Heyes put his pocketwatch back on the small table and stared off into space, his brows knotted together.

"Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake ya, so I just brought you something back."

Heyes didn't answer. He was now biting his lower lip and deep in thought.

After a second, Kid shrugged his shoulders and deposited the items he was carrying on the table by the window. "Since we're runnin' low on money, I was glancin' at this paper while I ate and saw a couple ads for jobs. One's out at a small ranch patchin' up a barn. The other's deliverin' some documents out to a mine."

Still no answer or reaction from the ex-outlaw leader.

"HEYES!"

Heyes released the tension in his eyebrows and looked at his cousin. "Why are you yelling at me? What is it?"

"I've been talkin' to you for five minutes and you've just ignored me! I said I brought you some breakfast back and I found a couple of jobs in the paper."

"Oh...uh...thanks." Heyes got up to retrieve the coffee from the table. As he stood there taking a sip, he stared out the window.

"Well, don't you want to know any more about the jobs?"

Once again, Heyes had retreated into his thoughts and didn't hear his cousin.

Curry sighed and rolled his eyes. He walked over to Heyes, grabbed his shoulders, and spun him around, nearly causing him to spill his coffee. "Hello?!...Heyes?!...Anybody home today? WHAT are you so deep in thought over?"

"Kid, are there any towns close by here?"

Curry put his hands on his hips. "Now how am I supposed to know? You're the one who led us here out of the middle of nowhere yesterday."

Heyes hesitated. "Oh...yeah...yesterday. Okay. Just forget it." He sat the coffee back down on the table and started getting dressed.

Kid watched with a thoroughly confused look on his face. "What's WRONG with you?! I know you're weird sometimes, but this is borderin' on crazy town."

The ex-outlaw leader started tucking his white shirt into his tan pants, then put on his brown corduroy vest. "Nothing, Kid. I'm fine. Listen. I'm feeling generous today so you take the delivery job and I'll go fix the barn roof."

"Alright. Now I KNOW you've lost your mind."

Heyes shot his partner a glare. "Can't I be nice to you without being accused of something?"

Kid gave his own look back. "No. Not when it comes to workin'."

Heyes rolled his eyes skyward then started putting on his gun belt. "Well, I ain't up to nothing. I just didn't feel like spending the day in a saddle. That's ALL." The tone of voice commanded that the conversation be over.

Curry narrowed his eyes. He sighed as he contemplated whether he felt like starting an outright argument. Quickly deciding against it, he threw his hands in the air. "Alright, Heyes. I ain't arguin' about gettin' the easy job. You just remember this tonight when you come back here and try to start complainin' about how hard a day you had."

"I won't be complaining about how hard the barn was, alright?" He put his hat on his head as Kid turned to leave.

Curry stopped mid turn at the comment. "I'm gonna hold you to that." With that, Kid exited the room.

Heyes returned to the window and waited to see his cousin walking toward the livery before he left the room and went downstairs. He stopped at the front desk and cleared his throat to get the clerk's attention.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked unenthused when he turned around.

Heyes smiled at him anyway. "I was wondering where and how far the closest town is." He had thought about a library a couple of days...a few days...once in the recent past, but had no luck and had forgotten about it in his quest to stop the loop. Destiny Loop may not have a library, but some place close by might.

The clerk stared at him and sighed through his nose. "That would be Leather Junction. It's about an hour's ride west of here."

"Do you know if they have a library?"

The clerk smirked at him. "It's a bigger town than Destiny Loop, so maybe. I don't really know."

"Who's the sheriff down there?" Heyes asked out of habit.

The clerk glared at him. "What is this? An interrogation? I don't know."

"Well, thanks. You've been a big help," Heyes snarked. He turned to go and as he reached the door, he turned back to the clerk and smiled sarcastically. "By the way, you better be careful. If you get any happier, people might mistake this place for a funeral parlor."

The clerk snorted as he watched Heyes disappear through the front door.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes stepped out onto the boardwalk and after a couple of seconds, headed toward the livery. But after only a few steps, he stopped and headed off in another direction.

The telegraph office had just opened when Heyes walked through the door. "Mornin'."

The telegrapher stood up from where he had been bent over behind the desk. "Good mornin'. Can I help you with something?"

Heyes rested his arms on the desk. "I hope you can. Do you happen to know if Leather Junction has a library?"

The telegrapher thought for a moment. "No, I couldn't tell you. I don't know."

"In that case, would you mind sending a telegraph there and asking someone?"

"I don't mind to send it if you don't mind to pay for it."

Heyes smiled at him. "Deal."

The telegraph was sent and after about a five minute wait, a reply came back. The telegrapher finished writing the message down. "Yep, looks like they do. The telegrapher there says there's a small one right behind the bank on Main Street."

"Alright, thanks." Heyes turned to leave. The telegrapher loudly cleared his throat. Heyes stopped and turned around with a 'what' look on his face.

"You forgot to pay for this," the telegrapher tapped on the message he had laid down on the desk.

Heyes smiled just a little sheepishly. "Oh, yeah." He walked back over, counted out the money, then left to retrieve his horse.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes arrived in Leather Junction an hour later. As he passed the sheriff's office, he instinctively lowered his head and looked out beneath the rim of his hat. Then he remembered that getting arrested didn't stop the day from repeating, so he raised his head, pushed his hat back, and rode down the street like he owned the place. It felt good to be able to ride around without worrying about getting recognized. If he did, he'd just wake up back in bed in the morning. He tipped his hat as he passed a deputy walking down the boardwalk. The deputy nodded his head back at him, clearly wondering if it was somebody he knew.

The bank was just ahead on the left, so he turned down an alley to get to the next street over. He rode up in front of the small library and dismounted. Walking inside, he immediately went to a little desk where a lady sat reading the paper. "Excuse me ma'am."

The woman put down her paper and liked what she saw. "Why hello. I didn't hear you come in. You need help with something?"

"Yes ma'am. I was..."

"Please, call me Judy."

"Okay, Judy. I was wondering if you had any history books for the area here."

"Yes, we do Mr..."

"Smith. Joshua Smith."

"Well Mr. Smith, the history books are on the back shelf. I'm afraid we only have a couple at the moment."

"Thanks." He started to turn to go, when a feminine hand lightly grabbed his shoulder.

"And if you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask," she purred.

Heyes patted her hand and she removed it. "I will. Thanks." It passed through Heyes' mind that Judy would have no problem working in a saloon, but there was no way he'd say it to her. He smiled and made his way to the back shelf. He took the two history books there and went over to a small table to look at them.

Judy had yet to take her wide, green eyes off him. Heyes noticed and made sure to sit with his back to her. He didn't want to watch somebody watching him while he read. When he sat down, Judy raised her paper back up to read, but would still look over the top of it now and then to look at him. Apparently, she didn't care what side she was looking at.

Heyes plopped his hat down on the table and opened the first book without looking at the title. It was fairly new and had nothing but the history of the Civil War in it. That was something he didn't care to read about so he pushed the book aside and pulled the other over to him. "History of Leather Junction and Surrounding Areas," he quietly read to himself. He looked at the published date and place. Sure enough, it was published in Leather Junction in 1870. He opened the book and flipped through the pages looking for any mention of Destiny Loop. Suddenly, he jumped as once again, a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Finding what you're looking for?"

He turned his head and looked up at Judy. He had to tilt his head back further than he had thought. Judy was a big woman, not overweight, just tall and stocky. Heyes thought for certain, she was at least over six feet. Maybe she was related to those seven foot tall Indians he was paid, no, supposed to have been paid, to find once. He hadn't heard her coming. That unnerved him, but he decided it was because he was so deep in thought over the books. She smiled down at him.

"...Yes, ma'am...Judy. I'm doing fine." He returned her smile.

"You sure are..." Judy mumbled to herself as she admired his dimples and floppy hair which framed, in her opinion, a perfectly handsome face.

Heyes heard what she said, but didn't in any way react to it.

"Okay. I'll be up front." She turned and sashayed back to sit behind the desk.

Heyes let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and turned his attention back to the history book.

After a few minutes, he finally found a reference to Destiny Loop in the middle of the book. But unfortunately, all that was written was just the same things Cat had told him about his people and the so-called 'curse' they had put on the land the town was located on. There was nothing about strange happenings. He hurriedly looked through the rest of the book. When he found nothing more, he slammed the book shut in frustration. Heyes immediately realized what he done and turned to Judy. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry," Judy smiled at him over her paper.

Heyes turned back to the table and collected the books. As he returned them to their place on the shelf, he remembered the last thing Cat had told him, 'Clarity is the path to inner peace'. Not wanting to get any more of Judy's attention than he already had, he started searching the few shelves for a dictionary. He finally found one and started flipping pages. "Clarity,...clarity," he muttered to himself. "There it is. Clarity: Clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity. What the heck does that have to do with inner peace or repeating days?" He stood staring at the word for a few minutes, then put the dictionary back up.

Grabbing his hat from the table, he made his way toward the door. Judy hurriedly got up from her chair and blocked the door. "You're not leaving so soon, are you?"

Heyes looked up at her. Yep. Definitely over six feet. He smiled politely. "Well, I found what I needed and I need to be going." He studied the woman towering over him. She wasn't all that ugly, but she was no real beauty either. And she was extremely forthright. He'd never met a woman outside a saloon that was this straightforward, flirtatious, and unembarrassed with her...wants.

"Well, maybe I found what I want too, Mr. Smith...Joshua."

Heyes actually found himself blushing. "Well ma'am, uh, Judy, my partner's waiting for me to show up in Destiny Loop, so if you could just step aside..."

"Is your partner a woman?" Judy asked, putting her hand on his upper arm stopping him.

Heyes glanced at the hold she had on him and cleared his throat. "No. But I'm supposed to meet him at a certain time and if I'm late, he'll get worried and have the sheriff out looking for me. And I'd hate the thought of having the law looking for me."

"Send a telegram to him. Tell him you're going to be late." Her other hand came to rest on his shoulder.

Heyes was about to start sweating. He'd never had a woman come on this strong to him. "I can't do that. Someone told me the telegraph wire to Destiny Loop had been damaged this morning." He tried to maneuver out of her hands, but she had a grip like a federal marshal. "I really need to get going now, so if you'll just let go..."

Judy stared at him for a moment like she didn't know how to reply. Then suddenly, she jerked him forward and kissed him.

Heyes struggled shortly to get away from her and finally he succeeded in pushing himself back. He looked up at her incredulously. "You know, I don't think that's appropriate behavior for a respectable...lady."

"Well, maybe it should be. There'd be more marriage in the world." Her hands moved to hold the lapels of his jacket.

Heyes had had enough. Being polite didn't work and apparently, this woman was a few cards short of a full deck. He decided to change tactics. "Now look lady. I've got to go meet my partner, Kid Curry, and he's somebody you don't want to keep waiting, so will you now MOVE?" He hoped that maybe she would leave him to go get the sheriff if she knew who he really was. Then he could get out of there. He really didn't care if a posse came after him or not. He'd just wake up in the hotel in the morning.

"Does that mean your name is really...Hannibal Heyes?" Her smile had diminished just a little bit. "You're a real outlaw?"

"Yes, it does. Now, MOVE before I MAKE you move." He developed a menacing look, grabbed her wrists and tried to jerk her hands from his lapels. They didn't budge. Heyes couldn't help it. His eyes got a little wide as he looked down at her hands, then back up to meet her eyes. This was insanity. He could stare down hardened criminals, but this woman obviously wasn't affected.

Judy stared him in the eyes, then her smile started to grow until it almost filled her entire face. "I'd heard how handsome you and Kid Curry were and since then, I've ALWAYS wanted to get my hands on you!" She lunged forward and they both fell to the floor.

oooooasjooooo

Leather Junction's sheriff was busy making his rounds. He turned the corner and headed down the backside of Main Street. As he neared the library, he heard what sounded like a scuffle, so he started to approach cautiously, his hand on his revolver. He had almost made it to the door when it flew open and a slightly disheveled young man with lipstick all over the side of his face ran out. He literally jumped onto the back of his horse after quickly untying the reins.

"Come back Hannibal! I love you." Judy was close on his heels.

Heyes saw the sheriff and as he galloped past him yelled out, "You need to arrest her for assault! She's nuts!"

The sheriff was dumbfounded.

Judy ran out in the street holding up her dress from dragging the ground. "I'll find you again someday, Hannibal Heyes!"

"Hannibal Heyes...?!" The sheriff watched the dark haired man as he quickly rode out of town, his hat bouncing on his back, held on only by the stampede strings.

oooooasjooooo

Kid Curry returned to the hotel room that evening to find his cousin lying facedown on the bed, boots still on, his hat thrown on the table, and his jacket thrown across the chair. "Heyes? You okay?"

Heyes raised his head and slightly glared at Kid. "You'd never believe what a day I..."

Curry interrupted him smiling. "Nuh uh Heyes. You said you wouldn't complain about the barn job tonight, remember?"

Heyes raised up on his elbows. "This isn't about a barn!" But on second thought, he was glad his partner had interrupted him. He really didn't want to talk about his encounter with giant Judy.

Kid raised his eyebrows as he noticed a red smudge on Heyes' cheek. "Did you get in a fight today? What's with the red spot on your face?"

Heyes got up and went to the mirror. "I thought I got all that off." He set to scrubbing the side of his face with a towel once again.

"What IS it?"

Heyes didn't really want to say. "It's...lipstick," he finally got out.

Kid smiled at him. "Got done early and went to the saloon for some fun did you?"

Heyes rolled his eyes. "No, and let's leave it at that."

Curry was now thoroughly intrigued. "Come on Heyes, spill it. What happened today?"

Before Heyes could answer, there was a knock on the door. Kid walked over to it. "Yeah? Who is it?"

"I've got a message for Mr. Smith."

Kid opened the door just as Heyes recognized the voice. "NO KID! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" But it was too late.

"Ooh! Kid Curry!" Judy said just before she tackled the gunslinger.

Heyes just shook his head as he looked down. "THAT'S what happened today."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?! WHO IS THIS HEYES?!" Kid Curry forgot to use his partner's alias in the ensuing confusion. It didn't matter though. Judy already knew who they were. Kid had fallen to the floor with Judy and was now in a wrestling match to gain control of his head.

"You're just as adorable as he is," Judy purred, holding Kid's head to kiss him.

"Kid, meet Judy." Heyes smiled watching his cousin struggle with the big woman as he had done hours before. It had never crossed his mind that she would actually follow him. He found himself wanting the day to reset this time. Judy was harder to get away from than any posse. He reached over to the chair and grabbed his jacket. Then he carefully stepped around and over the two in the floor. "Think I'll go over to the saloon for a night cap. See you later, and Kid,...have fun." He winked as the gunslinger stared a hole through him.

"HEYES! YOU GET BACK HERE! DO SOMETHING ABOUT,...THIS!" Curry tried to rise up to a sitting position only to get jerked back by the collar of his jacket.

"Don't worry. I'll be here with you my love." Judy said trying her best to kiss his lips.

"I know! THAT'S what I'm afraid of!" Kid tried to pry off her arms that now surrounded his neck. Heyes opened the door to leave. "I MEAN IT HEYES! GET BACK HERE AND GET YOUR FRIEND!"

Heyes paused at the open door. He smiled once again. "She's all YOUR friend now."

Kid finally managed to make it to a sitting position, but Judy was hanging on his back kissing his neck. He was tempted to shoot both the crazy woman and his cousin. "WELL GO GET THE SHERIFF!" he desperately shouted as Heyes shut the door laughing. "Will you LET GO OF ME?!"

"Don't fight it Kid. This was meant to be. I've ALWAYS wanted a bad boy outlaw to love and now I have two!" Judy had managed to squirm around and was now laying in his lap, still holding onto his neck.

"Oh no you don't." Kid tried to push her off his lap so he could get up. She didn't move. "Woman, you HAVE GOT TO GET OFF ME!" He put his arms between hers and finally succeeded in prying her off his neck. Quickly, Curry tried to get on his feet before Judy could right herself. But as soon as he was upright, a hand grabbed the bottom of his sheepskin jacket and jerked him down. She yanked so hard, his hat fell off and got scooted across the room. As soon as his butt hit the floor, she grabbed his Colt out of the holster. "Alright now! That's enough! Give the gun back to me!"

"Come and get it you bad boy you,..." Judy cooed, hugging the revolver to her chest.

"On second thought, keep it." Kid jumped to his feet and as fast as could, ran to the door and opened it. Once out in the hallway, he yanked the door shut just as Judy came running after him. He still had hold of the doorknob and could feel her pulling on the other side. It took a couple of minutes, and a lot of strength, but he managed to get the key out of his pocket and lock the door. Once it was locked, he turned around and leaned against it. "I never thought I'd be runnin' from a woman..."

"Oh Kiiid...I'm waaaiting," Judy said from the other side of the door.

"Well, you just keep on waitin'," Kid called back. There was no way he was going back in that room. Heyes could take care of it. Then he remembered. 'Heyes! He just left me in there with that crazy woman!' He pushed off the door and headed over to the saloon. It was time to flatten his cousin.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes had already slowly enjoyed half a glass of beer at the far end of the bar when his cousin slammed through the doors like a mad bull. The ex-outlaw leader smiled as his partner came in. But as Curry got closer and he could see the look on his face clearly, the smile quickly disappeared. He held up his hands and started backing up. "Now Kid. No need to be so angry."

"NO NEED?!" He backed Heyes up until his back was against the wall. Heyes could now see his partner's face very well. Curry's hair was tousled, lipstick on his face, red marks around his neck, and his eyes shone with blue rage. "No need?! You ran into that,...

that,... woman earlier today didn't you? You KNEW how she was. And you LEFT ME STUCK IN THE ROOM WITH HER!"

Heyes tried to diffuse the situation while the rest of the saloon's occupants watched with amused interest. "Well, she was a little too forward for my taste, but I thought you might enjoy her."

"You thought I'd enjoy her?!" Kid stared icily at his cousin. Before Heyes could react, Curry drew back and punched him in the side of his face. The dark-haired man fell to his knees holding his cheek. "Well, I thought YOU might enjoy THAT."

oooooasjooooo

Two ex-outlaws stood in the street, one rubbing his cheek, staring at the window to their room,...in the hotel that had no more rooms available.

"How are you gonna get her outta there, Heyes?"

"ME?! It's your gun she's got. You go run her off. Besides, I have a headache."

"You deserved that and you know it!"

Brown eyes slid sideways to glance at his partner. Okay, so THAT one, if he were honest, he MIGHT have deserved. After a minute, Heyes unholstered his revolver and tried to hand it to Kid. "Here,... go shoot her in the leg. Then the town doctor can come get her."

Curry glared at him. "I ain't gonna shoot her, no matter how much I might want to."

Heyes reholstered his gun. "Well, how about getting the sheriff on her, tell him she's crazy and broke into our room."

"She knows who we are! We can't do that!"

Hmm...Judy or jail...? The jail was sounding pretty good. Then Heyes had a thought. "So what? Come 7 a.m., she'll be gone anyway. Let's just go turn ourselves in so we'll at least have something to sleep on until morning."

Curry turned and stared wide-eyed at his cousin. "Have you lost your mind?! I ain't gonna go sleep on a cot in a jail cell when we've paid for a soft bed in a hotel. Not to mention the fact that we'd be IN JAIL. You wanna go sleep in a cell for twenty years, go on. I AIN'T doin' it. Besides that, what makes you think she'll be gone by mornin'? She'd probably have one of us married to her by mornin'."

"I just know she'll be gone, believe me."

Kid's wide-eyed stare turned into a look that really wondered if his cousin was crazy. They could discuss Heyes' sanity later. Right now, there was an actual insane woman to worry about. "Well, even if she IS gone by mornin', that don't help us none now."

"I told you we could turn..."

"NO, Heyes."

Heyes shrugged his shoulders. No use trying to explain the repeating day business this late. He looked at the hotel and thought a minute. There was a balcony running all the way around the top floor of the hotel that went directly underneath their room. So there should be some stairs leading up to it from the street somewhere. "Hey, look. We could get on that balcony and sneak a peek in our room, see what she's doing. Maybe she's already gone and we're worried over nothing."

"Alright. You finally said something that makes sense. Let's go."

oooooasjooooo

Ducking into the alley beside the hotel, they found the stairs leading up to the balcony. They climbed them and walked around the balcony as quietly as they could until they were right beside their room's window.

Heyes looked back at Curry and whispered, "This reminds me of that night we first went to Lom about the amnesty, having to sneak around to the window and look in."

"Shut up, Heyes, before she hears you."

Heyes rolled his eyes as Kid kneeled down in front of him and they both slowly put their heads around just enough in front of the window to see in. What they saw stunned them both.

Judy had apparently went digging around in their saddlebags. She had one of Heyes' shirts draped over her shoulders, Kid's hat was on her head, and she was laying on her stomach on the bed, the gun still up to her chest as she patted it and reading one of Heyes' books.

Heyes raised up and turned to leave. "Forget that. I'm not fooling with that craziness no more. I'll go sleep in the jail first."

Kid jumped up and grabbed him by the collar. He whispered vehemently. "I SAID NO JAIL. Now get back here."

"What do you expect me to do?!"

"Think of somethin' genius!"

Heyes put his hands on his hips and glared at his partner. "Well, one of us can go back in there with her to keep her distracted, and the other can go convince the sheriff she's crazy and violent and broke in on us because she thinks we're outlaws. When he comes and sees her trying to hold one of us on the floor, he'd probably believe us."

Curry narrowed his eyes at him. "ONE of us can CONVINCE the sheriff...? You're meanin' YOU'LL go convince the sheriff while I have to go fight to keep from being kissed to death. Nuh uh, Heyes." His finger pounded Heyes in the chest. "YOU'RE the reason she's here in the first place. YOU can go wrangle her to the ground."

Heyes smiled slyly. "Now think, Kid. Which of us has the silver tongue?"

Curry blew out an exasperated breath. He couldn't argue with that. But he COULD argue with the idea. "You can't come up with something better than that? I could be..."

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING UP THERE THIS TIME OF NIGHT?"

The two cousins looked at each other, then over the railing at the sheriff and his deputy watching them from the street.

Kid's eyes slid over to his partner. "Well, Joshua, answer the man."

Heyes put his hands on the railing and smiled at the lawmen below him, even though they probably couldn't see it. He didn't want to speak too loud. "Now this isn't what it looks like, Sheriff. We were just..."

"THROW YOUR GUNS DOWN, THEN STAY RIGHT THERE. I'M COMING UP." Sheriff Murray looked at his deputy. "Keep 'em covered while I get up there." He looked back up. "GUNS, GENTLEMEN. NOW."

Heyes rolled his eyes, pulled out his revolver and tossed it down.

"YOU TOO, SON."

"I DON'T HAVE ONE," Kid yelled back aggravated.

Inside the hotel room, Judy had heard the yelling outside and went to the window to see what was going on. She opened the window to get a better look at the street and leaned out. That's when she saw them. "Oh boy! My outlaws have come back to me!"

The two on the balcony turned in unison and saw their living nightmare climbing out the window. "YOU STAY THERE, SHERIFF! WE SURRENDER! WE'LL COME DOWN!" Heyes yelled as Curry turned and ran for the stairs. The ex-outlaw leader wasn't as lucky. Just as he turned to run, Judy lunged forward and caught him by his right leg. Heyes fell hard on the balcony floor and Judy scrambled over top of him.

"Hello, Hannibal! Welcome back! I've been waiting!" Judy jerked Heyes over on his back as he tried to get back up.

Heyes grabbed her arms as they tried to surround his neck. "Now look lady, we're NOT going through this again!"

Judy then changed tactics. She settled for grabbing the lapels of his jacket.

It was all Heyes could do to hold her at bay. She was trying hard to get close enough to kiss his face. "Oh dear, Hannibal. You have a bruise on your face. Let me kiss it and make it better."

"That's okay. I'd rather just let it hurt..."

By that time, Curry had reached the street. He looked up at his poor cousin. 'Serves him right for leavin' me earlier...'

"SHERIFF! I GIVE UP! I'M HANNIBAL HEYES AND I'M TURNING MYSELF IN TO YOU SO YOU CAN HAVE THE REWARD IF YOU'LL JUST COME GET THIS CRAZY WOMAN OFF ME!"

Sheriff Murray's eyes grew wide at the proclamation. His gaze then turned toward Kid.

Curry wasn't looking at him though. He was still looking up at his partner, shocked by what he had just heard. He didn't turn away until the deputy came up and grabbed his arm, making sure his holster was empty.

"Then you must be Curry," the sheriff said as the deputy pulled the ex-outlaw over. "Go ahead and take him to the jail. I'll go see what's happening up there to Heyes."

"I can't believe he just said that...," Kid was still in disbelief as he was led down the street to the jail. It all had happened so fast, he was almost speechless.

Up on the balcony, the tug-of-war happening with Heyes' jacket lapels was still going on. Judy's shoulders were the only place Heyes could hold her back with. Well, the only place if he wanted to remain a gentleman. But his arms were getting tired holding up the lunatic's weight. Slowly, Judy was lowering closer and closer to him. Heyes used all the strength he had left and rolled them both over onto their sides. Judy still had a death grip on his jacket though, and was about to give him the kiss of his life when they both heard a stern voice.

"Alright, that's enough you two," Sheriff Murray said, pointing his pistol at them.

"THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TRYING TO TELL HER!" Heyes was still getting pulled forward toward Judy's lips as he fought uselessly to get up.

"MA'AM! You need to let him go, NOW." Murray reached down and grabbed one of her wrists. Only then, did she look up and actually seem to notice the gun pointing at them.

"Hello, Sheriff," Judy smiled. "This is one of my boyfriends, Hannibal."

"Ma'am, I ain't telling you again. Let 'Hannibal' go."

Judy looked crestfallen as she turned loose of the corduroy jacket. Heyes scrambled to his feet and stood still while the sheriff helped Judy stand up.

"But he's going to take me to Devil's Hole to live," she whined.

Murray rolled his eyes. "We'll discuss that later. Right now, let's head to my office."

Heyes started walking to descend the stairs as Murray gave Judy a little nudge to get her going in front of him. They all made it down to the street without any problems, then Judy had a thought. "I just want one more kiss for tonight." She started to catch up to Heyes.

Heyes heard what she said and had taken off running before she finished her sentence. Judy was close on his heels.

"BOTH OF YOU, STOP!" Murray yelled. He shot in the air to try to stop the two where they were, but it had no effect. Once Judy got something in her mind, there was no changing it and if she didn't stop, Heyes wasn't stopping. Murray didn't want to have to shoot anyone, but that WAS Hannibal Heyes running in front, although he couldn't blame him for running. He'd decided to try to shoot the ground directly in front of Heyes to stop him. The worse that would happen would be shooting Heyes in the leg. Then he noticed where the ex-outlaw leader was headed.

The deputy had just locked the cell and was going to the sheriff's desk to put away Curry's gun belt when the door flew open and Hannibal Heyes ran in. The deputy and Kid stared as Heyes ran straight into an empty cell and slammed the door behind him."HURRY, LOCK THE CELL DOOR!" Heyes demanded as he went as far back in the cell as he could get. The deputy hurried down to him and locked it.

Kid was certain his cousin had finally lost his crazy mind as Judy ran in and back to the cells. It was then that Kid himself jumped back as far as he could get from the cell door. Judy stood between the two cells holding the ex-outlaws and blew them kisses as she tried to coax them to come closer to the bars.

Finally, Sheriff Murray ran in and stopped, surprised at what he saw. The two most notorious, most wanted outlaws in the west seemed scared of a woman. Granted, she was a VERY BIG and VERY CRAZY woman, but still, he thought it amusing that both of the criminals were as far back away from the cell doors as possible. He hid a smile and went up to Judy. He gently grabbed her by the arm and led her back to his desk. "Ma'am, where are you from?"

"Leather Junction," she said as she still stared starry-eyed at Heyes and Curry.

"Well, my deputy here is going to escort you back to your hotel room,..."

"Uh, Sheriff. That was OUR room she was in," Heyes called up front.

"Yeah, I was the one that locked her in there to get away from her," Kid added grumpily.

Sheriff Murray turned to hide a smile and stifle a laugh. When he had himself composed, he turned once again to Judy. "Well then, you can sleep here tonight in the front cell and tomorrow morning, my deputy will escort you back to Leather Junction."

"Yeah, and then WE'LL be escorted to Laramie," Kid said semi-softly as he glared at Heyes, still not believing what he had done.

Heyes gave his cousin his most convincing, sincere smile. "I promise you Kid, everything WILL be fine in the morning."

oooooasjooooo

_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..._

_BANG_

_SQUAAAWWKK..._

Heyes raised up in the bed and looked around the room. Just as he suspected, there was no sign that Judy the crazy floozy had ever been there. He had an evil thought run through his mind that maybe he'd somehow persuade Kid that he needed to go to the Leather Junction library, but remembering what a headache he had had the previous night after his cousin slugged him, dismissed the idea. He had to laugh though, thinking back to the look on Kid's face when he was jumped by Judy. What he wouldn't give to have a picture of it.

The door opened and Kid walked in. "Mornin' Heyes. What are you smiling at this early?"

Heyes was so deep in the memory that the question caught him off guard. "Uh,...nothing exactly. Just a... dream I had."

"It must've been a pretty good one."

Heyes did his best to hold in a laugh as he answered. "Oh, it was a good one alright. There was this giant crazy woman over six feet tall and you..."

"STOP. Stop right there. That don't sound like somethin' I want to hear about."

"Ah,...c'mon Kid. Let me tell you. She knocked on the door and..."

"One more word about it Heyes and you're gonna find yourself with coffee all over your face."

Heyes snickered as he stood up and stretched.

Curry rolled his eyes and ignored the half suppressed laugh. "Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake ya, so I just brought you something back."

"Apparently it includes coffee since you just threatened me with it."

"You're such a genius, Heyes," Kid said sarcastically.

Heyes stopped and thought briefly about sending his cousin to the library once more. Shaking his head, he started getting dressed.

Kid sat the breakfast items on the table by the window. "Since we're runnin' low on money, I was glancin' at this paper while I ate and saw a couple ads for jobs. One's out at a small ranch patchin' up a barn. The other's deliverin' some documents out to a mine."

Heyes remembered what he'd said on the first day Kid had told him about the jobs, however long ago that was. "Let me guess. You chose the delivery job."

Kid shot Heyes his most charming, innocent smile. "Well, I figured this time, I'd do the decidin' instead of that coin of yours."

oooooasjooooo

Having gotten Kid to leave, Heyes rummaged through the room until he finally found a small pencil in his saddlebag. He grabbed the newspaper Kid had left, then sat down at the table to eat and try to think some things through. Taking a bite of the sandwich, he looked through the paper until he found a small clear spot he could write on. "Now, what did that dictionary say clarity was?" He thought for a moment then wrote, 'Clearness or lucidity as to...perception or understanding; freedom from...indistinctness or am-big-uity'. "I think that's what the definition was exactly."

He drank some coffee while he tapped the pencil on the table. "Clearness as to perception or understanding... freedom..." Another drink of coffee. "Well, it's definitely not freedom from being wanted. We managed to actually get amnesty one of those days. So...freedom from something else maybe?" More of the sandwich disappeared. He wrote down what Cat had said to him. "Clarity is the path to inner peace."

Heyes dropped the pencil and took a long drink of coffee. After the cup was set down, a hand ran through the dark hair as he looked out the window. He watched the town going about it's usual business. Then he noticed something he hadn't paid any attention to before. A woman walked out of the mercantile packing a plant she had just purchased. All thoughts on clarity were forgotten as an idea struck him. The old indian, Cat of A Thousand Circles, had a garden. Why would he plant one if it would never grow? Cat said the so-called curse didn't affect him or his people. Could anything that stayed on Cat's land not be affected like the garden?

oooooasjooooo

Cat was lounging in a rocking chair on his front porch when he saw a rider headed his way. He smiled, stood up, and waved when he could make out who it was. "Welcome back, Hannibal. I had a feeling I would be seeing you again."

Heyes looked tired as he rode up to the porch. "Howdy, Cat." As he dismounted, he glanced at Cat's garden. It was barely noticeable, but the plants looked as if they had in fact grown some.

"Come, sit with me here on the porch. You look as if you have something on your mind," Cat said motioning to the other chair beside him.

"Thanks." Heyes sat down and pushed back his hat. "Cat, I do indeed have something on my mind,... you." He looked over at the older man.

"Me, Hannibal?"

"Yeah, you. You told me, however many days ago it was, that you didn't know the answer that would make the loop stop."

"That is correct. The solution has been different for each person."

"You also said that the loop doesn't affect your people."

"That is also correct."

"I started thinking about your garden out there. I don't think you would take the time to fool with planting it if it would never grow. So, the curse must also not affect the land that you own."

Cat looked impressed with the dark-haired ex-outlaw sitting opposite him. "I had never really given it any thought, but you are correct. The land and things my people own are not affected. Our gardens and livestock have normal lives whether someone is stuck in the loop or not."

Heyes had a smile playing across his lips. "Well then, going along that line of reasoning, what if someone were to spend the night in your house, or on your property?"

Cat was quiet as he contemplated Heyes' theory. "Your train of thought appears sound, Hannibal. I have never had anyone ask me that question. I cannot tell you what would happen, as I do not know."

Heyes cleared his throat in anticipation. "Then I have to ask,... would you mind entertaining an ex-outlaw guest for a night? You don't have to let me in the house. I don't mind sleeping outside at all, as long as I'm still on your land."

Cat studied Heyes. The young man had tenacity, he had to give him that. He smiled at him. "Hannibal, I would not mind it at all. And you do not have to sleep outside. You are welcomed to use the guest room. I trust you not to take anything. Although I must warn you, I do not think this will work. As you know, I do not have the answer, but previous solutions have seemed to be...personal...in nature some way. But you are welcome to try staying here. Will Jed be joining you?"

"No. It'll be easier to get him to believe I took an overnight job than it would be to explain why we need to spend the night with you."

"I suspect you will leave now and return in the evening?"

"That's right. I have to wait for Kid to get back from his job so I can tell him I'll be gone. Don't want him worrying all night." Heyes rose from the chair and offered his hand to Cat. "I sure do thank you. Wished I could repay your kindness in some way."

Cat took Heyes' hand and shook it. "You need not worry about repayment, Hannibal. It is my pleasure to help you out. And besides, you have been giving me a lot of entertainment. I have heard all the tales of the things you have done and the people you have met."

Heyes gave a sideways grin. "Let me guess,... from the stable man."

Cat chuckled. "Yes. He has been observing all that goes on in town, then tells me the stories when he passes by in the evenings on his way home. You have managed to make him question your sanity a couple of times."

"That sounds like something Kid would say."

Cat was smiling large. "I think one of my favorite days was when you just gave up and decided to spend half the day in the saloon getting drunk. I was told your cousin had quite the time handling you that night. And then there was Judy..."

"Leeet's not talk about Judy. One day dealing with her will last me a lifetime. I ain't NEVER met a woman like that before." Heyes stepped down off the porch. "I'll be back late this evening." He started to mount his horse, but then stopped and looked back to Cat with a smile. "Do you like to play cards?"

"I enjoy some games. But I will not be gambling with you. I have heard how good you are at poker. I will save some dinner for you. Safe travels, Hannibal."

"Thanks, Cat." Heyes swung himself up in his saddle and rode back to town.

oooooasjooooo

When Heyes entered Destiny Loop, he went straight to the telegraph office.

"Can I help you?" the telegrapher asked looking up from writing something.

Heyes walked over to the counter. "I was wondering if you could write a message for me."

"Why? Can't you write?"

Heyes tried not to look offended. "Yes, I can write perfectly fine. But I need this message written by you as if I had received an actual telegraph."

The telegrapher looked a little confused. "Huh?"

"I need YOU to write down the message I'm going to tell you. I want it in YOUR handwriting so it'll look like it came as a telegraph. I'm trying to pull a trick on my partner and he'll immediately recognize my writing. I'll pay you of course."

The telegrapher scratched his head. "So you're willing to pay me just to write something down on paper for you?"

Heyes smiled. "Yes. How does,... a dollar sound?"

"You're gonna give me a dollar just to write a message for you?" The telegrapher could hardly believe it. But, if this man was willing to pay him, who was he to argue? He picked up his clipboard. "Okay then. I'm ready.

"To Joshua Smith, Destiny Loop. From Sheriff Lom Trevors, Porterville. Need you to come to Porterville for important job specifically for you. Will take about a day. Need you here by 8 am tomorrow," Heyes dictated.

The telegrapher finished writing. Heyes reached for the paper. "Uh,...you said you'd pay a dollar...?" The telegrapher held the message just out of Heyes' reach.

"Of course." Heyes forced a smile as he dug into his inside jacket pocket and got out the money. "Here you are."

"Thanks," the telegrapher said, switching the paper for the money.

"No, thank YOU," Heyes replied, folding the message and putting it in his jacket pocket he had retrieved the money from. He left the telegraph office and returned his horse to the livery stable.

"Hello Mr. Heyes," the stable man looked up from brushing a particularly impatient pony.

"Hi." Heyes took his mare to the stall she was occupying while in town. "Heard you've been getting some pretty good laughs on my account over the last...however many...days." He took her bridle off and started removing the saddle.

The stable man blushed ever so slightly. "Yes, Mr. Heyes. I am sorry to admit I have. You do seem to keep it lively around here. If you can ever break the loop and leave, I will surely miss your...activities."

"Tell me, do you always watch when somebody gets stuck in this stupid loop?"

"To be perfectly honest, I do watch for a few days. I am always intrigued by how people react to unusual situations. After the few days, I usually quit keeping an eye on them all the time. I just check around in the mornings to see if they are still reliving their day. You, on the other hand, are not just an ordinary citizen that tries and tests small, law-abiding plans to break the loop. Your ideas to find the answer have been quite...different, and enjoyable to watch. I suppose that is due to who you are."

"I'm glad somebody's been having fun around here." Heyes started brushing down his mare.

"Just let me say, that if you ever do manage to break the loop, I hope you and your partner get your amnesty. It would be tragic to have you both turned into prisoners for twenty years."

"Thanks," Heyes said sincerely.

"Here, let me finish that for you." The stable man walked over and took the brush from Heyes.

"Thanks again. Guess I'll be seeing you later." Heyes walked out of the livery.

"Goodbye Mr. Heyes."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes had his saddlebags packed and ready to go when Kid walked into their hotel room late that evening.

"Are we going somewhere?" Curry asked looking at the leather bags on the bed.

"WE aren't going anywhere. I am." Heyes pulled out the false telegraph he'd had the telegrapher write up. "Got this from Lom when I got back from working on that roof."

Kid took the piece of paper and quickly read it. "He wants you there by 8 in the mornin'? You'll have to ride all night." He went to the dresser and started pulling out clothing.

"What are you doing?" Heyes asked.

"I'm goin' with you."

"No, you're not. Lom said this job was for me."

Curry stopped and looked at his partner. "You seem to find trouble when you're by yourself in the daylight. God knows what trouble you'll land in ridin' overnight alone."

Heyes rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. I'll send you a message in the morning so you'll know I got there. Besides, I didn't finish the job on the barn roof and told the lady you'd be by tomorrow to finish it."

Kid stared at his cousin as he thought it over. It WOULD be more money for them and at the present time, they needed it. Finally, he put his clothes back in the drawer. "Alright. But you BE SURE and send a telegraph in the mornin'."

"I will, promise." Heyes picked up his things and left.

oooooasjooooo

"Cat, that was delicious." Heyes had finished eating and was cleaning up his dishes.

"Thank you, Hannibal. Although, you do not have to clean the dishes." Cat sat at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee.

"It's the least I can do. You're letting a,...well,...maybe not a COMPLETE stranger stay in your house since you seem to know all about me, which is a little unnerving I might add. But, you letting me stay with you, knowing who I am and what I used to do, is exceptionally nice. Most people wouldn't do it."

Cat took a sip of coffee and smiled at him. "You may have used to steal, but deep down, I can tell you are a good person and would not hurt me intentionally. You just,...took a wrong turn on the path of your life. But that is in the past. You are now trying to rectify that mistake by going straight and trying for amnesty. I do hope that you and your cousin receive it."

Heyes stared straight at the sink while Cat spoke. The old indian was touching on a topic that he didn't care to talk about. Time to change the subject. "Thanks. So, you said earlier that you didn't think me staying with you would break the loop. Why's that?"

"Because, as I have said, the curse does not affect my people or the land and things we own. I do not own you, therefore, I think you will wake up in the hotel once again in the morning."

Heyes dried his hands and sat back down at the table. "Okay, I can see that." He thought for a moment. "Well, what about if I was your prisoner? Technically, you wouldn't outright own me, but, I would be yours to keep until I escaped or got turned in."

"You want me to keep you tied up all night?"

"No, not at all, nothing like that. Just actually say something like, 'Heyes, you're now my prisoner', and try to mean it, then lock the bedroom door on me."

Cat looked at Heyes and could see the hope in his eyes. "Alright, we will try it. It certainly could not hurt anything."

Heyes smiled. "Good. I was getting ready to turn in anyway. It's getting to be kind of late and I don't want to keep you up all night."

Cat and Heyes both stood up and walked to the guest bedroom. Heyes stopped just inside the open door.

Cat took that as his cue to speak. He tried to sound as sincere as possible. "Hannibal Heyes, you are now my prisoner. You are now under my control."

Heyes smiled. "Thanks, Cat. I never thought I'd be happy to be called a prisoner. Hopefully, I'll see you in the morning." He moved out of the door's way.

"Goodnight, Hannibal." Cat closed the bedroom door and locked it.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO...COCK-A-DOO..."

BANG

"SQUAAAWWKK..."

Heyes awoke and pulled the pillow over his head upon hearing the familiar sound of the rooster and its execution. After a minute, he threw the pillow down and found himself staring at the familiar hotel room ceiling. "I've never hated an animal so much in my life as I do that dang rooster." He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Well, I guess Cat was right. Staying with him didn't work at all." He scratched his head as he stared across the table and out the window. He was starting to feel really defeated. His hands dropped to his lap. Maybe this was the one puzzle in his life he wasn't going to figure out. After a moment, he shook those thoughts from his head. No, this loop of misery was NOT going to get the best of Hannibal Heyes. He sat on the bed, nearly motionless as his brain ran through all that hadn't worked.

"Mornin' Heyes." Kid walked in and stopped when he realized his cousin wasn't moving. "Heyes, you alright?"

Heyes shook his head and turned to face Curry. "Uh,...yeah. I'm fine. Just got up and I felt like I was still half asleep."

Kid nodded slowly, not really believing him, but decided that his partner was just having one of his weird moments. Who knew what went on in that head of his when he stared into space like that. "Went out to get some breakfast and a paper. Didn't want to wake ya, so I just brought you something back."

"Just set it on the table here." Heyes stood up and tried to comb down some of his unruly hair with his fingers. He only succeeded in making it worse.

Kid softly giggled. "You look real good like that. I'd wear it that way from now on."

Heyes rolled his eyes and retrieved his comb and shaving essentials from his saddlebags. He made his way to the wash basin and looked in the mirror. He didn't think he looked as bad as Kid had made it seem.

Curry set the items down on the table then dropped the newspaper beside them. "Since we're runnin' low on money, I was glancin' at this paper while I ate and saw a couple ads for jobs. One's out at a small ranch patchin' up a barn. The other's deliverin' some documents out to a mine."

Heyes paused to peer at his cousin through the wash basin mirror to repeat, once again, what he had said on that first day. "Let me guess. You chose the delivery job."

Kid shot Heyes his most charming, innocent smile. "Well, I figured this time, I'd do the decidin' instead of that coin of yours."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes slowly shaved as he kept watching his cousin in the mirror. He was killing time waiting for Kid to leave. He didn't have to wait long.

"See you tonight Heyes. Don't break all your fingers trying to nail on that barn."

"Well, you don't get yourself robbed, shot, or lost going to that mine."

Curry rolled his eyes. "You always have to have the last word don't you?"

Heyes put the razor down to smile at Kid in the mirror. "Of course."

Kid opened the door. "You're impossible to live with at times, you know that?" he said quickly as he went into the corridor and shut the door before his partner could reply.

"HEY KID," Heyes yelled.

Curry couldn't help it. He automatically went back to the door and opened it. "Yell my name a little louder why don't you, I don't think they heard it in the next county. Now what do you want?"

"Bye." Heyes smugly grinned.

'Dang it Heyes' Kid thought as he slammed the door shut and went down the stairs. He could've said his thought aloud, but that would've provoked his cousin to say something else and he could end up being there all day.

As soon as the door shut, Heyes finished shaving and got dressed. He was still taking his leisurely time, since he had no need to hurry. Afterwards, he retrieved the pencil he had found the day before. 'I need some paper. There's not enough blank space on that newspaper to figure things out.' Knowing there was no blank paper in their room, he left and went to the desk in the lobby.

The clerk had his back to him as he had on other days when Heyes was in the lobby at that time of day. "Excuse me," Heyes said politely to get his attention.

"Can I help you with something?" the clerk asked unenthused when he turned around.

Heyes grinned at him. "Yeah, I was wondering if you had a piece of paper I could have."

"I can't just be giving the hotel's paper away."

Heyes sighed and dug in his pocket. "How about a nickel for it?"

The clerk never took his eyes off the ex-outlaw as he reached beneath the desk. Momentarily, he laid down a piece of paper. "Nickel please."

Heyes kept a sideways grin as he lay down the money. "Thanks." He picked up his newly acquired, expensive piece of paper and went back to his room as the clerk put the nickel in his pocket.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes sat himself down at the table next to the window. He took a drink of coffee. It wasn't hot anymore, but still warm enough to drink. He decided to resume his train of thought from the previous day about the 'clarity' saying' before he had gotten distracted and left it. Taking a bite of the sandwich, he wrote the definition of clarity he'd found at the top of the page.

'Alright, clarity is...clearness or lucidity as to...perception or understanding;...freedom from...indistinctness or...some word I don't remember. And I sure as heck am NOT going back to that library to see what it was.'

He thought hard about the definition as he finished the sandwich off. After wiping his mouth and hands, he wrote down the cryptic message Cat told him, however many days ago it was.

"'Clarity is the path to inner peace.' And then yesterday, Cat said the solutions he'd seen work seemed to be personal in some way."

Heyes decided to try substituting words from the definition for the word 'clarity' in the message. 'Clearness is the path to inner peace...lucidity is...perception is,... understanding is...freedom is...'.

'Alright, I know it's not freedom from the law. The amnesty day didn't break the loop. Sure would've been nice if it had. Anyway, all the words in the definition mean pretty much the same thing to describe 'clarity''. "Well, of course they do," he chastised himself. "Hmm..."

Heyes sat at least thirty minutes in deep thought comparing the definition to the saying. He seemed to keep going back to the words, 'understanding', and 'freedom'. He looked at the paper and noticed he'd wrote them both down at least three times a piece. He drummed the end of the pencil on the table. "Cat HAD to mean something by telling me to remember that phrase. Maybe he DOES know the answer to break the loop,...but if he outright tells me,...maybe it wouldn't work. The solution seemed to be something personal he said,...but freedom or understanding of what? Clarity of what?"

He couldn't think of anything he needed to understand any better than he already did. As for freedom, what else but the law could that pertain to? He slammed the pencil down on the table as he slouched back in the chair aggravated. He stared at the paper for another five minutes with his arms crossed. "WHAT could he have meant by that? I've never met anyone that seemed to have inner peace,...except for maybe Sister Julia, and I'm pretty sure I'm not meant to be a nun."

Heyes stared out the window, not really looking at anything in particular. Maybe the clarity riddle had NOTHING to do with the solution. But, then again, maybe the answer was on that paper, staring him in the face. This was the first time he had actually taken some time to think deeply on it. After a minute, he stood up. This indepth, philosophical thinking required a drink.

oooooasjooooo

After the bender he went on the other night, Heyes decided to just order beer from the bar instead of a whole bottle of whiskey. He sat at a table near the back where he could see both the door and out the window. He sat sipping the beverage as he continued to think on Cat's words. Heyes was so preoccupied, he didn't notice the petite, scantily clad brunette walk up behind him. He was actually startled when her hand touched his shoulder, his first thoughts going back to crazy Judy. 'Oh my God...'

"Hey honey. You're awful jumpy aren't ya? You look lonely sitting back here all by yourself. Want a little company?"

Heyes looked up at her as she moved to stand beside him. She was quite a nice looking woman, wearing a very revealing short, tight, red dress, complete with feather boa. Deciding his brain could use a break, he smiled at her. "Sure. Have a seat." As he spoke, he stood up and pulled out the chair beside him. She sat down and he shortly followed. "Care for a drink Miss..."

"Ruby," she said seductively through red painted lips. "Sure. I'll take one. No need for you to drink alone."

Heyes motioned at the bartender to bring over a drink for the loose woman. In less than a minute, she had a shot of whiskey. She sipped a little of it. "So, what's your name handsome?"

"Joshua," Heyes replied out of habit. He took a drink from his glass. "Nice to meet you Miss Ruby. Aren't you starting work a little early?"

"Oh, no darling. I like getting an early start. More hours, more money, more...happiness. Besides, some of the most interesting people come in during the daytime...like you. You look plenty interesting. I bet you've had some wild adventures at times," she replied looking deep into his dark eyes. "I can see in your eyes you're no ordinary cowboy."

Heyes gave her one of his trademark dimpled smiles. "Honey, you have no idea."

Ruby scooted her chair a little closer to his. "Well, wanna have another one right now?" she purred.

Heyes kept his smile in place. Quickly, he sorted through his thoughts. 'A break would do me good. Maybe I need to come back and look at the problem a little refreshed.' "Do you?" he asked in a low voice while raising one eyebrow.

Ruby smiled as she threw back the rest of her whiskey, stood up, and offered her hand to him. Heyes took a final, long swallow of his beer and took her hand, which he held all the way up the staircase.

oooooasjooooo

A couple or three hours later, Hannibal Heyes emerged from the saloon looking especially relaxed, which, unfortunately, wasn't going to last very long. He quickly went into the cafe and grabbed a sandwich for later before the traveling bounty hunter showed up for his cup of coffee. Then he returned to the hotel room.

Laying the sandwich down on the table, he looked once again at the paper with the clarity riddle written all over it. Of all the things he had tried to get the loop to stop, he'd never tried anything that was related to the mysterious message from Cat. "Clarity..is the path to inner peace." He threw his hat on his bed and started pacing the room trying to imagine anything that would even remotely relate to both himself AND the alleged epiphany he'd been given. He furrowed his brows as he paced his circuit around the room. "Inner peace...inner peace." He had returned to the table. He stopped to stare at the paper with his hands on his hips. Suddenly infuriated with his lack of ideas, he yelled at the paper as he wadded it into a ball, "I'D GET SOME INNER PEACE IF I COULD FIGURE YOU OUT!" The paper wad was then thrown violently against the window.

After a couple of minutes to settle down, he pulled off his brown corduroy jacket and threw it on his bed next to his hat. The paper wad was picked up and straightened back out as best as it could be on the table. With a snarled look at it, the pacing then resumed.

oooooasjooooo

Kid Curry returned to the hotel that evening after stopping for dinner and a drink. He was surprised when he didn't find Heyes in the saloon engaged in a poker game. 'Must've been too tired from having to actually do some work', he thought.

He opened the hotel room door and was immediately stopped in his tracks at what he saw. Heyes was slowly and softly banging his head against the table he sat at. A worn down pencil was in his right hand next to his head. His left arm hung straight down at his side. Little pieces of ripped up paper littered the rest of the tabletop and the surrounding floor area.

Kid walked slowly toward his strangely acting cousin. "Heyes?" There was no answer. Kid spoke a little louder with confusion in his voice. "Heyes? WHAT on earth have you been doin'?"

"I'm never getting out of here," Heyes said softly as he let his head finally just rest on the tabletop with his eyes closed.

Curry was now thoroughly bewildered. "Huh?"

"I'm never getting out of here."

Kid pulled his jacket off and laid it beside him as he sat down on his bed facing Heyes. "Out of where? This room? This town? What are you talkin' about?"

Heyes raised his head to look at his partner. Curry had to stifle a smile. There were a few little ripped up pieces of paper stuck on Heyes' forehead. Heyes saw the look though and quickly figured out what was wrong. He plucked the offending paper pieces off himself and tried to throw them down in disgust just to have them softly flutter to the floor. "I'm NEVER going to get out of this town. This day is going to last for the rest of eternity and I'M STUCK in the middle of it."

Kid raised his eyebrows with a worried look. "Have a little too much alcohol tonight, have we?" he cautiously asked.

Heyes threw the pencil in his hand across the table which in turn disturbed some of the shredded paper pieces. "NOOO. 'WE' haven't. I've had ONE beer."

"Well then, you've finally crossed the border into crazy town 'cause you ain't makin' a lick of sense."

Heyes slouched back in his chair looking depressed. "Kid, I'm not crazy." He paused. "I'm...sorry."

"Sorry for WHAT Heyes?"

"Sorry for getting you stuck here with me."

Kid sighed. "You're gonna have to start makin' some sense or I'm gonna go fetch the doctor up here."

Heyes leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. "Listen Kid, and just believe me. I'm not insane. This day is repeating for me. Every morning at 7 a.m., this day resets for me and I get woke up by a rooster getting shot. The day's repeating for you too, you just don't know it because at 7 a.m., you forget everything that's happened in the last twenty-four hours."

Kid was extremely concerned now. "That's impossible. Days don't repeat themselves."

"You've told me that exact thing I don't know how many times now." Heyes looked up at his younger cousin.

"But..."

"Alright, listen. I'm going to tell you what you did today. On the way up to the mines, a nervous man tried to rob you. When you got to the mines, they accused you of being a gunslinger hired by the bank and one of the men there drew on you. Then you came back, got something to eat, got a drink in the saloon, and came in here."

Kid was taken aback. "Now, those last things you could've watched me do. But,...the other things that happened...how did you know that?"

"Because you've told me before."

Kid was still skeptical. "You could've heard that from somewhere else today. One of the miners could've come back to town and told at least part of that story."

Heyes sighed. "Okay." He got up and retrieved his pocket watch from the bedside table and looked at it. "In about thirty seconds, a horse tied in front of the sheriff's office is going to whinny as a dog walks by it."

Curry squinted his eyes at his partner as he went to the window. There was a horse tied in front of the sheriff's office. He waited and sure enough, in about thirty seconds, the horse let out a whinny as a dog came out of the alley and walked by it. He turned with his eyes wide. He stared at Heyes as he slowly went back to his bed and set down on the edge. "How did you know that was goin' to happen?"

Heyes returned to his chair by the table and literally fell down into it. He spoke softly. "I told you. This day repeats itself. I don't know how else to prove it to you."

Kid was at a loss for words. Finally, he uttered out, "How?"

Heyes' gaze dropped to the floor as he shook his head dejectedly. "I don't know. Not really. And I have no idea how to stop it. I've lost count of how many times it's repeated now. I've tried all kinds of things to try to stop it. Nothing has worked."

Curry stared at his despondent partner. He still didn't know what to say.

Heyes continued. "So, like I said, I'm sorry. Sorry you're stuck here with me, doing the same thing over and over everytime the day resets."

"Well, don't be sorry Heyes. That's somethin' you can't help. It's not like you're doin' it on purpose."

Heyes' face took on an aggravated look. "I should've listened to you when we first rode into this place when you said you had a weird feeling about it." Heyes was quiet a moment or two, as was Curry. "You know, Kid, now that I think about it, there actually IS something I can do better than make plans and rob safes of their money...get you in trouble."

"Now Heyes, you know that ain't true."

Heyes stared straight into concerned blue eyes. "Isn't it? How many times did I get you in trouble at school or at home? How many times at Valparaiso? It was ME you followed when we ran away from the home and almost starved to death. It was ME that taught you to steal. And it's because of ME, you're a wanted man that used to help lead a gang of outlaws."

Kid sat quiet for a few seconds, then snorted. "You're givin' yourself too much credit Heyes."

Now it was Heyes who looked confused. "What?"

Curry smiled at him. "Sure, you got me into trouble at home and school. But I got YOU into just as much trouble, just as many times. And at Valparaiso, I was in trouble because I got mad and ran my mouth too much to the older kids, until you stepped in. Then we BOTH ended up in trouble because of somethin' I wouldn't just let be and we all ended up fightin'. Yeah, I followed you when you said you were runnin' away from the home...because I WANTED TO. You didn't force me. In fact, if I remember correctly, you tried to get me to stay until you could get us some food and money, but I insisted on goin' anyway. And believe me, you didn't teach me how to steal. Ma never did figure out I was the one stealing cookies at the house. My older sister never did figure out where half the candy she had in her room kept disappearing too. And who stole something for breakfast most of the time when we had nothin'? ME. I always liked it when I woke up before you 'cause that meant I could be the one to go steal food to feed us. And after we split up, I was already wanted in Texas when I went lookin' and found you again.

Heyes was amazed at these revelations. "You were?"

"Yeah. I ran with a small gang in Texas for a while. That's where my reputation started. I was just as larcenous as you Heyes. Well, maybe not AS much, but close. I wanted lots of money without havin' to work hard for it. I started missin' you somethin' fierce and that's when I headed toward Wyomin'."

Heyes had a small, crooked grin on his face. "You were looking for me when we met up again? I was looking for YOU. I'd told Big Jim I was going to look for you and would be back in about two weeks because there were no jobs planned at that time and he agreed to it. But,... I DID talk you into joining the Devil's Hole Gang."

Kid shook his head. "No you didn't. I was comin' with you whether you liked it or not. You just talked so dang much I didn't get to say anythin' about it. I'd lost my family once, and I'd decided that I wasn't going to let it happen again with my only livin' relative. Besides, that's when the Devil's Hole Gang really got so good."

"No. The Devil's Hole Gang got really successful when I started making the plans for the jobs...and had you to watch my back." Heyes was shocked and ecstatic all at the same time. "All this time I've felt guilty over leading you into a life of crime."

Kid laughed. "Well, you shouldn't have. I led myself into it. You weren't the only member of the family with a mean streak in you. Mine just got mixed up with my temper and I wasn't as sneaky about it as you were. And I couldn't come up with all those crazy ideas like you. I'd probably been dead by now if it wasn't for you. Heyes, you've saved me so many times, I could never pay you back. So don't be feelin' guilty about me bein' a wanted man. I accomplished that on my own. Now, if you want to feel guilty about somethin' feel it over that Columbine job."

"Hey! EVERYBODY has an off day. The rest of the time though, we were THE BEST the west has ever, or probably ever will, see!" Heyes couldn't quit smiling. "Kid, you don't know what a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. All this time, I'd blamed myself for everything." Then he laughed as a thought struck him. "You know, I think that's the most you've ever talked at one time."

"That's 'cause SOMEBODY ELSE'S mouth never shuts up long enough to listen."

"Well, I'm glad I listened tonight. I feel so much better about those things. Even if this day repeats until I die of old age, at least that guilt about you is gone."

Kid stood up and started getting ready for bed. "Well good. Glad I could clear things up for you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm beat and am going to go to bed so g'night."

"G'night Kid."

oooooasjooooo

Hannibal Heyes woke up and stared again at the familiar ceiling. 'Well, what can I try today?' he thought sourly with a smirk on his face. Then, another thought replaced that one. He shot up in bed. "Something's different."

"What's different, Heyes?"

Heyes' head whipped around, his eyes wide.

Kid was standing at the wash basin. "'Bout time you got up."

Heyes scrambled out of bed, after he fought to untangle himself from the sheets and quilt. He ran over to his cousin and, grabbing his shirt, spun him around. "You're here,...in the room!"

"Uh...yeah. Been here since last night. Want me to be somewhere else?" Kid watched as the excitement in Heyes' eyes grew.

Then it hit Heyes. He wasn't woken up by a rooster. "What time is it?" He ran to the bedside table and grabbed his pocket watch. "7:30? It's 7:30?!" He actually jumped up and down in celebration. "IT'S OVER! THE LOOP'S BROKEN! IT'S BROKEN!" He fell onto his bed and yelled into his pillow. Then, he suddenly jerked up as if he'd been struck by lightning and looked wild-eyed at his partner. "START PACKING! HURRY!"

oooooasjooooo

A man at the livery stable watched as two riders galloped at full speed out of the town of Destiny Loop. "Good luck to you Mr. Heyes," he said softly to himself.

Cat was enjoying his second cup of coffee while sitting on his porch as two horses raced past his house. Heyes looked over and tipped his hat to him as he flew past. Cat raised his coffee cup in salute. "I knew you would work it out. Safe travels always to you both, Hannibal and Jedediah. May you receive your much deserved freedom soon."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes had them gallop about five miles away from Destiny Loop before he would even slow down.

"What's your hurry, Heyes?" Kid asked as he slowed his horse down to a soft stop.

"I wanted OUT of that town. Who knows when that stupid repeating day business will start up again there and I didn't want to be around to see it."

Kid moved his horse up to stand beside his cousin's. "How many times did the day repeat for you?"

Heyes looked over at him. "I don't know exactly. I lost count. It was too many though. You wouldn't believe everything that happened. I fought with you, you thought I was insane, got shot, stabbed, killed, arrested, robbed a bank, turned us in, got attacked by a giant woman twice,..."

Kid raised his eyebrows. "Alright, slow down. I can't believe I'm goin' to say this 'cause it'll just make you talk more than you already do, but I want to hear these stories."

"I could write a book, but nobody would believe it really happened."

"What finally made it stop?"

Heyes stared at his partner as he concentrated. "You know, I hadn't thought about it yet. I was just intent on getting away from that weird place." Heyes looked off in the distance as he pondered the question. What had happened yesterday that could've done it? Eventually, it came to him and a big smile appeared on his face. "That strange message Cat gave me one day. That had the answer in it all this time!"

"Who's Cat?"

Heyes looked back at Curry. "Remember that old Indian I tipped my hat to as we rode by?"

"Yeah."

"That was him. That was Cat. I got to know him pretty good."

"What did he tell you?"

"That 'Clarity is the path to inner peace'."

"How'd that have the answer in it? Like you said, it's a strange message."

"That talk we had last night, about how it wasn't all my fault for the way you turned out, THAT was the answer! At the end of the conversation, I said I was glad you'd told me all that stuff because I didn't feel guilty about being the cause of it anymore; you'd assured me I wasn't. Then you said you were glad to clear things up for me. 'Clearness, understanding, freedom',...those were all words in the definition of clarity I found in a dictionary. THAT was it. THAT'S what it meant. 'Clarity is the path to inner peace', or in other words, 'freedom from unnecessary guilt'. I just needed to find out I hadn't ruined your life."

"Why hadn't you just asked me about it before?"

"I felt too much guilt and was ashamed to bring it up. I was afraid that, somewhere deep down, you held it against me for the way life turned out for you and I didn't want to deal with that because it would change our relationship for me forever. So, I just accepted the guilt and lived with it."

"Heyes, I don't get you sometimes."

Heyes looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, usually, you're talkin' my ears off about this, that, and whatever. But the one thing you NEEDED to talk about to me, you kept to yourself." Kid reached out and slapped his cousin reassuredly on his shoulder. "So, where should we head to now you think?"

Heyes looked happily into the distance as he thought both on the question and back on his experience. One day in particular came to his mind. The amnesty day. He turned, looked at Kid, laughed a little, and, smiling mischiveously said, "Let's go to Cheyenne and visit the Governor."

A/N - I'd like to thank all of you that stuck with this story through my months of writer's block. I'm so glad to finally be able to say this story is finished. I appreciate all the readers and hope you enjoyed it.


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